Many years ago, I was explaining to a friend the magic of the VCR, with which the viewer could view tapes, stop them and – wonder of wonders – even run them backwards to catch something they might have missed. (Yeah, it was that long ago.)
When she asked if it could be used with regular TV programming, as well, I smiled and assured her that that was impossible.
Idiot!
Me, that is.
If I’d stopped marveling at the present, I might have seen into the future. If I’d somehow acted on her idea, I’d be wealthy beyond my wildest dreams. And if I had broadened my mind, I might have expanded my boundaries.
Admittedly, it’s unlikely that I could have invented TIVO and all that came after, but at least I eventually did gain from the interchange.
Creatively, there really is no such thing as a bad idea – just ideas that can be improved, built upon or used to pry open new windows of thought before being put aside.
So, the next time someone suggests what seems impossible, at least think about it a minute or two. And maybe even jot it down. After awhile, that idea – or some version of it – might not seem so impossible some day, and you’ll have a visionary product, service or campaign to show for it.
