Good Idea

http://www.ideachampions.com/weblogs/14%20Ways%20to%20Get%20a%20Breakthrough%20Idea.pdf

The first suggestion to get ideas in this list is to "follow your fascination."  As simple and obvious as this thought may sound, I think it is valid and needs to be stated.  If something interests, even in the slightest, why not look into it more and see what it's all about?  If you don't end up liking it, then you have a new experience.  However, it's possible that you could really enjoy it, and end up making a difference amongst others with similar interests.  I would think that most people in our busy world would not take the time to entertain a thought that they find fascinating, and that's why maybe it's not such an obvious statement after all.  I feel like I already do have this thought implemented in my life.  I'm involved in so many different activities that interest me that I don't necessarily have time for any additional ones.  I do however, research topics that fascinate me online in order to gain a better understanding and appreciation of them.

The fourth idea on the list is "make new connections."  I think this is a very important statement because many inventions and ideas are simply two previous ideas put together.  It seems to me that most of these ideas are used to improve convenience and accessibility to things we already have, but do not have readily available.  In our modern times, there is nothing more profitable than creating a product that helps people do less work, or work faster.  I especially like his idea of listing random verbs, nouns, and adjectives and then seeing what connections you can make between them.  That seems like a good way to possibly make some new connections between things you never would think to put together otherwise.  I think most of us have tried doing this suggestion before, typically after seeing an infomercial of a new product like a blanket combined with a sweatshirt.  I think that I could take this idea further by using it more often throughout my day, and not just when I'm sitting alone thinking.

The tenth idea on the list is "hang out with diverse groups of people."  This is one of the most important suggestions on the list because I believe it will lead to the best results.  You will learn to see an issue from a new point of view, or someone may already have the solution to the problem you are having or vice versa.  It is important to have your ideas challenged and disputed, because it gives you ways to reform them and your way of thought.  The more well rounded you are in the needs of other people, the better an idea for something new you can produce that will help a broader population.  I think I do this to a certain extent because I do hang out with many different groups of people.  The only problem is I don't think that they are different enough to help get more different perspectives.  Most of the people I hang out with are from the Midwest, come from similar families, and attend the same college as I do.  Being in college, this is almost impossible to avoid, but once I leave, I hope to be a part of as many different groups as possible.

The fourteenth suggestion is to suspend logic.  The prompt for this idea is how asking me how I can suspend practicality and logic this week, in order to bring about my big idea.  I don't think this would be a good idea for me to think about or follow through with because I feel like I'm on track to reach my goals right now.  It may just be fear talking, but any attempt to get to them sooner could lead to never getting there at all.  I'm on the path right now and just need to ride it out.  There will be a time when I need to put practicality to the side, but that time is most likely years away.