How many good ideas are formed in a vacuum?
It’s interesting to think about how many businesses were formed by hermits or people who didn’t do much collaboration around the things they were interested in.
I think there may be a tendency to isolate yourself, for some people, when you’re trying to stay true to yourself and be original, but more often than not, I’d say ideas that stew in your own brain that don’t get tested, shot down, re-evaluated and re-built are going to stay right where they originated in – your head.
Just like how there isn’t really a lot of room on the bandwagon when it comes to a lot of new businesses for jacks of all trades to hop on (although I’ve been lucky to be included on the proverbial bandwagon more than once by several gracious startups), you should also establish and develop community in as many different ways possible early on in your formative professional years.
Even if you’re moving to a new area that already has a solidly established community (tech incubators, small business networking groups, blogger meetups) in which ideas your interested are being developed, you can step up to the plate and offer up your services and help in any way in order get involved with successful professionals already doing their thing.
Even if you’re not 100% sure about what you want to be doing or how you’d like to change your career or even grow a business, by placing yourself among actively thinking and acting business people and having your own ideas challenged or encouraged, you’re setting yourself up for a breakthrough, one way or another.
There are people out there who would be interested in meeting you, who are doing the things you want to do and might even be willing to help you. Place yourself out there, be useful and assume you know almost nothing. That’s the path to a breakthrough.
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If ideas are protected, they’ll never develop. If people shoot down your ideas, you have to truly try to defend them. Maybe you learn that there’s a flaw in your system, or maybe your determination will finally be realized.
@Jake it’s crazy how many times I’ve been scolded, told that I wasn’t focused, needed a lot of work and a whole other bunch of discouraging things and realized after that they’re exactly the words that I needed to push me past the breaking point. It’s so crucial.
I agree, JR! Since I have been helped so much personally and professionally in Boulder, it would be a shear joy (and relief!) to pay it back to whomever. I think of it this way, we’ve all received help in our lives… perhaps you are doing someone a favor by giving them an opportunity to pay it back or maybe even an opportunity to pay it forward, riiiight?
@Jodi, I’m all about paying it forward when possible. It’s always crazy to see someone kick ass after you give them a “break” somehow. That’s good karma dominoes right there.