I was recently reading the new, Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality
The book is about bringing ideas to frution and it’s chock full of techniques and pearls of wisdom. One that really got my attention , was this:
“Please take yourself and your creative pursuits seriously. Your ideas must be treated with respect because their importance truly does extend beyond your own interests. Every living person benefits from a world that is enriched with ideas made whole – ideas that are made to happen through your passion, commitment, self-awareness, and informed pursuit.
Challenge yourself to withstand the self doubts and societal pressures that will rally against you. When they do, take comfort in the knowledge that you are in good company. We all struggle, but we persevere. Adversity makes us stronger. Relish the fact that you are on an important path, emboldened by both the opportunity and grave responsibility to create something of value – a value that is rewarding for you and enriching for all.”
Step back…
Breathe…
Think about it…
In the day to day grind it’s too easy for us to lose track of the fact that what we’re providing to our families, employers, clients and the world, are not faceless concepts.
We enflesh ideas - our gifts come with a face!
We need to fight for our ideas, to stand by them, to even let them go if need be. We need to realize that humans are privileged with the supranatural capacity to bring beauty into the world.
What is this supranatural capacity?
A flower drops its seeds to guarantee more beauty next year. It is the natural way for a flower to bring beauty into the world. Humans bring beauty into existence through the work of our minds, hearts, hands and relationships. Sure, by nature we have this capacity, but it’s also a choice we make. It’s a both/and type of situation. We are able to create outside of, or above, the natural order, all the while still being a part of it. It’s supra (above) - natural.
Sound pretty awesome?
It is!
A fish brings its beauty of ‘fishness’ to the world even while dropping its waste products into the water it swims in. But it has no choice and it can’t improve the situation on its own. If it over-populates and over-pollutes its waters, its population naturally dies back to bring the system back into balance.
If a bunch of fishes had the supranatural capacity of humans they would realize that their actions impact the environment and respond accordingly. But they don’t. They’re fishes that are part of, and act naturally within, their system. Humans willingly ignoring their supranatural capacity (and interestingly enough not acting ’naturally’ any more) will be at the mercy of the system (and vice-versa!), and like the above mentioned fishes, throw the system out of whack until the people die back.
So you see, acknowledging the supranatural aspect of human nature isn’t an option. It’s a necessity.
It’s a prerequisite to bringing beauty to the world through our ideas; to building sustainable cultures of innovation that respect people and the world.
Before my mother died she told me, ‘You’ve been given so many gifts, you bring beauty to the world in so many ways; never stop bringing beauty to the world.”
My mom’s desire for me, is also my desire for you.
Please take your responsibility seriously.
