What If You Were the Idea? | In-Between the Pages

We spend an enormous amount of time trying to come up with a new idea and innovate. When we have an issue or challenge in front of us, we tend to take it from the view point of the challenge. Instead, we should be putting ourselves in its place. Identifying and recognizing your issue(s) is a great way to get a different perspective. Then you can move to action or past it with much greater ease.

For example, suppose you are trying to improve a car design. What would it actually be like to be that car? How would you receive your passengers? What’s it like when you start? How about when it’s time for an oil change, how would you let others know? What happens when regular tune ups you need don’t take place? How would you let your owner know?

Imagine that you are a coffee maker. How does it feel when cheap coffee is run through you? What’s it like when you’re overused to make coffee for everyone? What sounds would you make as you went about the task of creating a cup of coffee or a carafe of coffee? How could you be the easiest coffee maker to use?

The results of playful speculation can give you some very practical results. A noted scientist once asked himself,

What if I were an elevator falling through space at the speed of light, and a shaft of light entered the elevator? What would the light’s behavior be?

By investigating such possibilities and speculation, Albert Einstein developed some of his early relativity concepts. 

Back to you. How would you feel if you were the idea you were developing? What would you be? Or better yet, the people around you, what if they were the idea you were developing? What kind of attributes would they have?

In this fast paced and disruptive space we all live and play in we rarely take that opportunity to give ourselves the chance of being introspective. To speculate and think things differently than how we see them. We miss things that can change the entire outcome of our work and make it potentially better.

Take some time this Sunday before you hit the week running on Monday to reflect on you. Make yourself the idea. Write down your thoughts. Then build a plan around becoming that change. It’s a lot easier to do that way then living reactively moment to moment and trying to create a positive change as you go. You will find you don’t make enough time for perspective once your work is in play.

Thanks for reading and here’s to a great start to your week!

Shawn