The idea is not a passport. At most, it is the means of obtaining one. In some instances, a fixation on a great idea can prove hazardous, distracting your attention from the perils and pitfalls
you will inevitably encounter on the narrow road.
Quotes:
– Having a great idea is not enough
– Implementation always trumps ideas, however good the ideas are
Comments:
– Ideas are great starting points, you need to recognize that and not cling to them
– Ideas are great conversation starters, especially if you start with “what if…” instead of “I have this great idea”
– Ideas trigger other ideas (I call this idea chain reaction) and even if you are starting idea looks infeasible, if you keep working on them, you can come up with ideas that you can implement
– if you get a good idea, try to implement a small subset that represents the essence and get some feedback
– ideas get better as we validate them. They are refined by conversations around a certain implementation. These are concrete steps that take you towards a full implementation
– keep an idea log, even if you don’t plan to do anything with them and look at them once in a while. They reflect your thoughts, the problems you are thinking about and the solutions you want to dream about
Did I say Ideas are good starting points? They are just that and no more. But they are great conversation starters.