Ideas Are Not Like Lightbulbs They More Like...

Some ideas are like plants.

You put the seeds in the ground of your mind and nurture them regularly until they emerge from the depths, formed and ready to make their way into the world. But ideas are not like lightbulbs.

Some ideas are like tea.

They just need time to steep. Put them in your head and let them sit, getting stronger and stronger. But not lightbulbs.

Some are like waves,

coming from the unknown depths of our mind with a steady rhythm. Some ideas are like tears. They’ll well up inside of you–initiated by someone or some thing–and fall when they’re ready.

Some are like pennies on the ground–

random and scattered, you may have even noticed it and chosen to walk by without collecting it. But no, ideas are not lightbulbs.

Some ideas are like flies

appearing and buzzing around in a way you can’t ignore. Try and catch it and it slips away. And then one day you come across that same idea, lying near a window. It wanted to escape but just didn’t know how. While some ideas are like bees, swirling and floating in a way you can’t ignore. But unlike the annoyingness of the fly, these are scary ideas and you swat them away, hoping they will just go away.

And then there’s ideas that appear like your ears popping.

You might be able to feel it coming, or force it to happen. But sometimes, it just comes on its own.

But ideas are not lightbulbs.

They don’t just turn on and glow forever. Don’t be fooled by thinking that all great ideas are magical bursts of light. Most take development, coaxing, and cajoling until you fully understand what it is.

And then you put it to work.

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