Witnessing the seed of an idea evolve and develop is always fascinating to me. Whether the idea is mine or someone else's, my mind engages!
I know how an idea feels when it is half-cooked.
I recognize when an idea is stalled or forcing it's creator headlong into a mental cul-de-sac.
I have a knack for turning an idea inside out or flipping its components, giving it a new life that is more expansive and clearer than ever before.
Each and every time I explore an idea, I experience a mental quickening. Questions pop into my mind as I begin my initial assessment of the idea. I begin making connections, searching for gaps and inconsistencies, organizing what I know to create a visual representation of the concepts involved in the idea.
I've been a student of this process throughout my own journey as a Trailblazer. I've spent hours upon hours over the last twenty years developing my own ideas into models, metaphors, books, coaching programs, training programs, and businesses. (Truth be told, if I totaled up all of the time I have spent nurturing, growing, and harvesting my ideas, I'm sure I'd need to measure the time in years.)
Although the journey hasn't always been comfortable or easy, I have gained a deep respect for the life cycle of an idea.
Sometimes the initial seed of my ideas comes as a flash of insight. Other times the kernel becomes accessible layer by layer over time. The way in which an idea arrives has no relation to the ultimate value of the idea.
Each idea has it's own calendar for unfolding. I've learned to recognize when an idea needs time and space to grow. Pushing and prodding at that stage only delays the ultimate birth. Like any pregnancy, this stage isn't very comfortable. You know something is brewing within you, but there's no way to access it. All you can do is trust and honor the timing of the unfoldment as it happens.
With any idea there are blind spots and angles I can't see myself. During this stage I must put the idea into action. Whether I'm seeing the world through this new lens or I'm consciously trying out the idea with a particular person, I gain access to those nuggets of discovery. The clues to new insights can come through direct conversation, metaphors in nature, or even billboards. One never knows!
One of the most powerful moments is when you realize it's time to let go of the form of an idea so that it can morph into something bigger, different, and perhaps even unexpected. In these moments an alchemical reaction takes place that takes the idea to entirely new level. It's always a bit unsettling to step into the world of an idea that has come to me in this way. Everything feels different as I develop a relationship with the new form of an old idea.
Navigating this process is what I do; the nuances of the journey a part of me; it's what I love to do; it's what I'm known for; it's how I support my clients in creating deeper, clearer relationships with the trailblazing ideas they are most passionate about.
Comments