Every idea is a network

You have ideas. We all have ideas. Some of them are brilliant and some of them aren’t. But every idea (pursued) is a network.

As you explore your idea you bump into people. Some are new people to you and some are old friends. Each of those connections makes connections with other people based on the concept of your idea. And you might bump into people who have a very similar idea, something the 18th century philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder called zeitgeist.

The result of your idea– something you conceived of while sitting on the toilet or in a dream or while you were bored in a staff meeting– can create a vast network of interconnected people whose primary connection is your idea.

A good idea generates energy and momentum. Sometimes even a dead end generates new connections which further energize the idea. Can you help my idea? Can you collaborate on it? Can you make the idea successful? Can you help me think about the idea? 

Here’s the deal: Whether you have an idea that will make your neighborhood a better place to live or an idea that will make you a bagillionaire… you need to give your idea the freedom to breath, to live, and to take on a life of it’s own.

The difference between an idea that changes things and an idea you have on the toilet? The network you allow that idea to ignite.