The Story Of Your Great Idea

I was on a call today to brainstorm concepts for one of my CEO colleagues’ business. The goal of our conversation was to generate new ideas about a service he is launching.

It was a fun call, and shortly after we started, our small group got excited about a few goofy options. But then, things got more realistic, interesting, and still unique. You could hear people say one after the other: “Oh, wait! I have a great idea.” And then a few minutes later, the next person would start with the same expression: “Oh! I have a great idea too!”.

Who doesn’t like to come up with a “great idea”? I know I do. All the time. It just feels great. The words “I have a great idea” are the sound of creativity hitting us in a lightbulb moment that fills our brain with dopamine and our heart with hope and joy. This feeling is almost limitless once you are in a state of flow. It just keeps going.

The internet also seems like a limitless source. A source of advice about how to come up with great ideas: do a quick search if you’re looking to renew your own set of tips and secrets to train your brain to produce great ideas more naturally and frequently.

Now, I believe there is another phenomenon worth considering. It’s what happens when you share with others how you came up with a great idea. Telling that story is just as fascinating but less explored and maybe less common because less valued. Time passes, and we forget.

To recall how you figured out a solution to a problem or how you thought outside the box when a situation seemed hopeless is also a fantastic source of creative inspiration and focus for people around you. When you share this memory, you hold a story that creates an emotional connection that no other story has.

A great idea is great because it is practical, realistic, and feasible. It is also great because it is one that you believe in wholeheartedly. If you’re willing to stake your reputation on that idea, you’ve put passion into it. Even before you’ve invested actual money into it, you’ve invested emotional currency in making it happen. You’re attached to the outcome. This is the crucial force that will make you able to bring on clients, new colleagues, and investors.

Anyone can come up with a new idea. However, it’s the truly passionate ones, those committed to sharing with others the moment when they ran into that idea, that make their dream come true.

As entrepreneurs, we all experience failure. We are all losers one day. But we can be successful the next day; if we don’t quit.