What is a Good Idea?

Recently I had a good idea.  I like to think of myself as creative person and while I do not always get it right, I always enjoy the feeling when I can report a win.  This led me to think about what a good idea really is.  Is it just something I never realized before?  Perhaps it’s an idea that I should have thought of first, but someone else beat me to the punch.  Yesterday, for example, my mother suggested I add fertilizer to my geraniums to get them to flower.  “Good idea!” I replied quickly.  The thought had not yet occurred to me.  This summer for the first time since I started gardening I have occasionally been using fertilizer, often with great results.  Just ask my husband about the new crop of tomatoes from just three little plants!

Maybe an idea becomes a “good idea” simply because it is something outside your area of expertise.  Sound ideas are valuable in business as well as in your personal life, so they are worth paying attention to when they arrive.  Cultivating these ideas, either through others or through you own induction, is a skill.  Recently while reading a business advice book (there are many good ones) I received a reminder on a piece of advice I found many years ago: if you have a good idea, don’t wait to write it down.  Take the time to record it because the memory of it may disappear into the ether of consciousness like the fizz of carbonation.  Attaching importance to one’s good habits is a good idea and does make a difference.

The mastermind groups I offer (Finestkind Mastermind) are similar in terms of fostering good habits and allowing the creative energies of the hive mind to flow.  Creativity runs deep and does not necessarily color within the lines.  It thrives on the fresh soil of new projects and fertile new friendships.  When you have a new idea, take it seriously, even if you don’t recognize it to be a good idea at first.  It may grow on you.  “Light bulb” ideas come from your subconscious.  You should welcome them with the special care and collection of a prized specimen caught during the trip of a lifetime.  As you know, a potential new friend may in time turn out to be only a passing encounter; others become primary, cherished friendships. The same is true of your ideas.  Do not discard them randomly simply because they do not appear to be a familiar face or concept.  Take the time to get to know your new idea and visit it a few times before making any final decision about adding it to your inner circle of trusted concepts.

So, what was my new idea?  That will have to wait until next time.

Henry Lyons is the owner of Finestkind Web Design, LLC  in Dresden, Maine. He can be reached at finestkindwd@gmail.com, or through his website www.fineskindwebdesign.com.