Thought Sparks

 

My mind is an idea generator. Just about every day I wake-up with a new one. Some of them are not more than passing thoughts, some are glimpses of a growing concept and some are a collective of several ideas. Being the verbal processor that I am, I readily share my ideas with others. Fortuanetly for me, I’m married to a wonderful wife that listens to me and has the wisdom to know the difference between passing thoughts and serious intentions. She’s an amazing gift to me. In the work place I bring in new ideas to supervisors and peers. I have learned to expect an immediate negative reaction. It’s no fault of theirs, just a typical response. Most people don’t like change and are uncomfortable with new ideas. So, I make it an old idea by bringing it up in different ways.

 

Idea generation is like planting a garden. In the picture above I planted and cultivated the rose bush and the salvia in the background. The beautiful primrose however were planted by the birds. While the primrose are wild they are not completely unplanned. The thin vertical rod is a bird feeder which brings birds, who drop seeds, which produces flowers. How wonderful to reap the benefit of good sowing.

 

There is a process in my mind I follow for advancing a good idea. While it can vary, here are the basic elements:

1. An idea is born. I wake-up with an idea or come across something that triggers a thought.
2. The idea brews and sometimes even lays dormant.
3. Sub ideas or connection points are made that strengthen the idea. This is important as these become the selling points or counter points to skepticism.
4. I challenge the idea and poke holes in it myself. This strengthens it by shoring-up the weaknesses.
5. I float the idea past one or more people.
6. I get positive and negative feedback.
7. I mull over the idea and find more connection points.
8. I repeat step 4, 5, 6 and 7 multiple times until the positives far outweigh the negative. The more significant the idea, the more lengthy the process.
9. I develop a concrete plan for implementation and re-assert the idea. The idea is no longer a new one per say and is more readily received.
10. I present the idea now as a plan with action points. In the work place setting, use of PowerPoint or a formal document may be beneficial. At this point, I’m more assertive and confident in the idea. I go for it and am ready for negative feedback. If I’ve done my homework I should have an answer for most detractors.

 So go for it, sow good ideas. There’s an age old law, the law of sowing and reaping. "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." Galatians 6:7. This one verse, this one concept can change a persons life. Much like a garden, what you sow reaps a result. If you sow good ideas, you will reap a good return. Like the clothing guy says, "I guarantee it."

Comments (3)

 

1. Sam Chan says:

   May 2, 2007 at 1:04 pm

   Hi Phil Stolle,
   You are doing great! Many of your posts show that you are really putting on your “Thinking cap” – to come out with fantastic ideas.

   If I am not mistaken, IBM used to have this slogan “Think” and that could be how they named their notebook “ThinkPad”. We ought to think more!

   Galatians 6:7 really tells us “what we sow, we will reap” in short. In Acts 20:35 … “Our Lord said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

   “A great improvement can be achieved as long as we spend some time to improve our mental skills and building our mind.”
   “Every good act is charity. A man’s true wealth hereafter is the good that he does in this world to his fellows.”

   Let’s encourage one another to continue to do better in all areas of our life.
   Best wishes
   Sam Chan
2. admin says:

   May 2, 2007 at 1:52 pm

   Sam, thanks for the comment. Yes, what we gain in the end is really what we give. That makes life exciting. I appreciate your encouragement.
3. kellypea says:

   May 4, 2007 at 1:21 am

   I love Mexican primroses. We used to have them at our old house, and you’re right — they sort of just keep growing. I also like the way you dissect the process of coming up with and growing your ideas. If you’ve ever read anything about making bread with wild yeast, that’s more like how mine are seeded and developed. It’s just in the air. And the more you grow them, the more they’re in the air. The key is to keep planting.

   Great picture!