Tag Archives: ideas

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Understanding

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Individually we can interpret or view something in a particular way, that is our understanding.  When sharing, for us to be understood, others must perceive the intended meaning as expected (e.g. our words, language, or even speaking style).

Understanding is not achieved magically and requires effort.  As well it is important to contextualize your intent.  Are you seeking a common understanding or to be understood, or just for personal purposes (understanding for self-satisfaction)?

Common Understanding

Creating a common understanding is underpinned by communication.  It is a combination of sending and receiving coupled with validation.

This multi-way interaction is the only way to create the opportunity for each individual participant to arrive at commonality.  Everyone processes information in their own way so how the common understanding may be achieved differs for each person.

The importance of how understanding is achieved lies in the journey to get there.  The value of being able to validate that everyone interprets and views the thing, in the same way, is represented by the outcomes, which are more likely to be lower quality if misunderstanding is prevalent.

Individual Understanding

Most of us seek to resolve the mysteries around us, both complex and simple concepts, by figuring out what they are, why they occur and ultimately how we should react.

In some cases, there is great value in sharing your determination in common with other determinations.  This typically occurs when you must interact with others for success.

However, there are cases where understanding something can be solely for your personal satisfaction.  In these cases the achievement of understanding is satisfying but does not need to be shared.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Inspiration

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Inspiration is most commonly associated with the process of developing creative ideas.  The outcome can be behavioral or physical.

For example, I was inspired to run faster (behavioral) or I was inspired to build a better mousetrap (physical) Mostly the act of inspiration is considered positive, although that might not always be true of the results.

That is to say, by definition the ideas and plans arising from inspiration are exciting and something worth attempting.  Unfortunately the result might not inspire.

Where does it come from?

Does inspiration arise from logical planning and concentrated deep thoughts?  It can, but it also can just arise from out of the blue.  There is no formula to creating inspiration.

Of course deep thought can act as fertilizer for your brain and the growth that arises from the fertile soil (your active brain) could be inspiring.  Or it might not be.

Troubled thoughts, worry, frustration or concern can often overshadow your thinking process and dampen the opportunity for inspiration.

Inspiring thoughts can be helpful to resolve issues or conflicts and they are to be encouraged so whenever possible avoid stressful situations that with restrict the opportunity to come up with solutions that inspire not only yourself but others as well.

Seeking Inspiration

A word of warning, particularly for those seeking creative inspiration (e.g., poets, artists, authors, even bloggers) attempting to proactively seek inspiring ideas can backfire and dry up the well for a while.

Don’t push for it, just let it come.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Ideas, the journey begins

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Ideas are thoughts about a potential course of action, typically for beneficial purposes.  Ideas can also be philisophical and highly conceputal both with a mental image or etherial perspective.

For todays post I am focusing on the more material form of ideas, those that can be converted to reality.  That is, the potential is acted on and ultimately beneficial gain is realized (monetary or otherwise).

Inventing

Often the conversion of an idea to reality is termed as the process of invention but this is not always the case.  Invention implies the idea has a newness to it, i.e, never seen before, unique, innovative.

Inventing can be a profession ranging from creating and patenting the idea without making it a reality, to actual building and implementing the idea, that is acting as an entreupreneur.

 Implementing Ideas

Arguably  the most satisfying process is not the ideas inception, rather implementing the action arising from the idea and of course reaping the benefits thereof.

This is the journey from the germination of the idea to conceptualization and finally reality.  Like many journeys it can be long and tiring, can have frustrating moments and even times when you wonder why you even started.

The key here is overcoming the motivation not to act.  Often the getting the idea is as far as it goes.  For those few that take the journey and overcome the challenges the satisfaction can be high.

Of course it could lead to failure, willingness to accept the risk is, of course, one of the key barriers to taking an idea to fruition.  Ths can be offset by the pleasure of the journey.