In my journey as a tech entrepreneur, business strategist, and legal consultant I have come to recognize a particular set of interesting people: "the ideas guys". They are amazing people because they are able to see through holes in a system, process or idea and create ideas that could potentially solve problems.
They are usually very smart people, knowledgeable in a lot of fields with the ability to logically think through problems and proffer possible solutions. I believe we need them in every sphere of our lives since I live my life on the principle that no matter how good a process is, it can always get better.
However, the problem I have with these set of people is that they feel their idea entitles them to fame, or money or respect or anything other than a momentary appreciation of their 'think-through' abilities. We all know that one person who talks about how they were the first ones who had an idea and how someone else stole the idea. They can talk everyday of their brilliant ideas but seem content with just that: TALK.
They enjoy the look on people's faces when they explain their ideas and relish the fantasies of having their ideas bring them millions one day!. They like the 'smart guy' tag and feel that this entitles them to some special place in the annals of history or on the list of the richest people on earth. LOL.
Dear great smart thinker, in the world we live in today, IDEAS ARE CHEAP! Yes! Ideas are like talents, they are raw, they are unrefined. They are FREE. Ideas are great because they are like seeds but who is going to pay big money for seeds, the farmer maybe but definitely not at premium price.
What the world wants and truly needs are the fruits and that is where the problem lies because standing menacingly in the space between the seed and the fruit is that ugly looking monster called WORK.
Gruelling work! Work will require you to look at that idea again, work will make you doubt that idea that you thought was genius. Work will make you prune, and weed, and graft and transplant and water, and fertilize and wait and sweat and grind and start all over again. Work bro! Please calm down with your stories of how Facebook will eventually buy your company for millions of dollars.
Chill with how this idea will make you the next Dangote and get to work on it if you actually believe this is the real shii! And let me give you interesting gist: YOU GO HEAR AM.
You see, reading motivational books is the fun part. Reading Steve Job's autobiography is soothing because believing yourself is important. But your belief in yourself only really gets tested when you are in the trenches; when your "conservative" business analysis says you should start making money in the third month and you have already hit the one year mark but you are thinking of pivoting. That is when your thinking skills will really be put to test. YOU GO HEAR AM.
When you start dodging your landlord because you you can't pay the rent as easily as you used to and you start avoiding your friends because they will start echoing your doubts about the viability of this your amazing idea. YOU GO HEAR AM.
You see bro, having ideas just like having talents is sweet but it takes more than sitting on your behind with your elbow on your knee and your fist supporting your chin to create anything worthwhile. The real thinkers today are those on their desks answering real questions, creating products, delivering services to real people; the guys who have to rework the first genius idea many times over; the guys who actually get real feedback and have to provide reiterations of their product. The guys making mistakes and getting back up again and rethinking strategy. These are the guys really thinking because they are also DOING!
Dear thinker,
I know that iconic sculpture of the thinking man sitting contemplatively in deep thought is a romantically alluring one but that image belongs to far gone times. Today, the appropriate structure of the thinking man is that of one exerting himself in creative labour.
Yours,
Enyioma
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