Idea Lists

Facebook. Google. Amazon. Apple. Netflix. Uber.

Aside from the obvious answer, what’s the overarching similarity among these massively profitable and revolutionary corporations?

They all started with an idea.

Before anyone coded websites or designed iMacs, today’s crown jewels in innovation could have found their origin stories sloppily scribbled on napkins or pieces of scrap paper.

The Mark Zuckerbergs, Steve Jobses and Jeff Bezoses of the world held no internal or external advantages over you and me when they began their passion projects. Heck, Jobs worked on computers in his garage and Bezos sold books out of his.

So what’s stopping you from exploring your own innovation and creating something new?

Two things:

Distractions

Our attention, one of our five primary resources*, is more divided than it’s ever been. We hear the “ping” of a notification and immediately drop our current activity and shift our attention to the glowing screen of our smartphones. We struggle to focus on one singular activity in the present because we believe there’s always something else worthy of our attention. The onus falls upon us to drown out the noise and focus on the present moment, an increasingly difficult task in today's age.

“I don’t have time”

We have 24 hours in a day -- that’s plenty of time. In reality, it’s an answer you hope the person you’re upsetting will understand as a valid reason for your inability to do whatever they asked of you. It’s also an easy saying we use to excuse ourselves from activities that force us out of our comfort zones. I've always believed that if you really want to do something, you’ll find the time.

If the thought of entrepreneurship excites you, or if you want to explore the limitless capabilities of your brainpower, I present you with this challenge:

Sit in a chair with a notebook and pen. Put the phone in airplane mode. Turn Netflix off. Take out your earbuds. Eliminate the distractions (but a glass of wine or a beer couldn’t hurt, right?)

On a page, write the numbers 1 through 10.

Now, think. Seriously, stare at the wall and think. It's that simple.

Think as micro or macro as you wish. What frustrates you? What changes do you wish to see in the world? How can you create something new and exciting, something unseen by human eyes?

Challenge yourself. If you get on a roll, shoot for more than 10 ideas. Think creatively. It’s for your eyes only, so don’t be embarrassed by anything you write. Too often, pessimists discourage the creativity of the youth and pass our ideas off as naivete. Don’t let anyone criticize you for formulating a “bad idea,” because there’s no such thing.

Your options for these “idea lists” are endless. This very post was created out of my own that I titled “10 Possible Blog Posts.”

So get started today with just some paper and a writing utensil. No distractions; just you alone with the unlimited possibilities percolating in your mind.

And maybe you should start in your garage. That seems to be the way to go.

* (https://bit.ly/2M9RxeC)

Troy Farkas is an aspiring writer. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @tfark04.