- Image by Lucas* via Flickr
Ideas are like children
Like most people, I like my ideas. They are almost like my children and I think they are beautiful. Whatever the reality, nobody thinks that their own child is ugly. In most cases I have invested time and effort in developing an idea and there is something about being invested in an idea that inflates its value. I don’t generate ideas easily. It is a great struggle for me to actually form an idea. I perform some mental gymnastics to line up all the assumptions, connect all the dots and follow all the theories so that my idea holds together. When I finally finish, I have invested a big part of myself.
Ideas can limit your thinking
This is a good thing because I need to be committed in order to run with a new idea but it also sets up a problem – tunnel vision. All that effort and commitment also creates a problem as well. This is because when I commit to an idea, I become closed to other ideas. There is only so much room in my head for ideas. I can only commit to to a limited number of activities. There is just no room for more and I hate to eliminate one of my babies to make room. And when I commit to one activity, it narrows my vision and my thinking to one direction. My mind has a hard time moving away from that direction.
This is a real problem for human beings. We are wired to build our actions on precedents. Our thinking is easier when we have someplace to start. In a formless void, we drift until we can establish some kind of order that helps us make decisions. Ideas give us assumptions and order to the way we see the world and because they are a shorthand summary of the complexity that really exists. This means that when we interpret reality through our ideas, we limit our vision and direction. We see the part of the world that our idea embraces but no more and we are unlikely to move in a new direction or embrace a new vision.
Is there a solution for this problem?
I don’t have a solution for this problem. The more I commit to a vision or direction, the more limited my perception of the other possibilities available. When you have the right direction and vision, then everything is fine. You just need to commit and do the work. But how do you know? What do you do to make sure that your tunnel vision hasn’t kept you from seeing your true direction? I don’t have a good solution but I think the best insurance is a coach who can provide validation of your thinking or other ideas you should consider. Are there other ways that you use to keep your mind open to all the possibilities and options? If so, please share.
