Don't Talk Yourself Out of the Idea

Have you ever had an idea that made you smile for a moment...

And then immediately talked yourself out of it?

"That's probably silly."

"Someone else has already done that."

"I'm not sure anyone would care."

"Maybe it's not worth pursuing."

And just like that, the idea disappears.

It happens more often than we realize.

We can become so good at evaluating our ideas that we never give them the chance to become anything.

But an idea doesn't have to be brilliant when it first arrives.

It doesn't have to be practical.

It doesn't even have to make sense yet.

Sometimes it just needs a little room.

Write it down.

Sketch it.

Say it out loud.

Play with it.

See where it takes you.

You can always decide later that it's not the right idea.

But you can't discover where an idea might lead if you dismiss it before you've explored it.

Some of the most interesting things in our lives begin as thoughts that don't seem particularly important at first.

So the next time an idea shows up, try something different.

Instead of asking, "Is this a good idea?"

Ask:

"What happens if I follow it for a little while?"

You don't have to commit to it.

You don't have to show anyone.

You don't even have to finish.

Just follow the thread.

You might be surprised by where it leads.