A
message from Larry Goldberg, CFP, founder of
ideas2sell.com:
What’s an idea worth? Well, I guess it
depends on what you do with it! When it flashes across your mind, it’s your choice
whether to bring it into existence by doing something with it, or just let
it continue on its way to wherever ideas go. Eventually, someone else will
“get” the idea, and have the same choice
of bringing it to life or letting it go.
When I was a teenager, I had several aquariums filled with a variety of
tropical fish. I could never go away for more than a few days, because the fish
would starve, or the person appointed to handle the task would overfeed them or
forget. The result was always dead fish! I “got” an idea. If I put the food
in capsules and inserted the capsules in a timer that rotated about one eighth
of a revolution daily, one capsule would drop into the aquarium and dissolve
each day, and I could go away for up to eight days. After several failed
attempts, I built the device, and it worked flawlessly. I never shared the idea,
though I received encouragement from my parents. Several years later, I saw “my
idea” in a tropical fish store. What was the idea worth? Nothing to me!
Have you ever had a similar experience?
Ten years later, I met my wife. We married and started a family. One of
the challenges we had, like most parents of young children, was getting our
children to sleep, so we could enjoy some quiet time together. More often than
not, however, the children were out of their bedrooms disturbing that quiet
time. I “got” an idea. Together with an artist friend, we created a series
of sheets and pillowcases imprinted with children’s activities, i.e., games
for one, roads with little cars (“The Road to Dreamland”). This time we took
our idea to New York City where several textile mills had their headquarters.
Though they showed interest, we had neither the time, money, nor freedom to
persist with the venture. After six months, we abandoned the project. Within a
year, similar products were on department store shelves! What
was the idea worth? To us, nothing! Have you had an idea that eventually made
money for someone else?
We all have access to the same place
from which ideas emanate. Some of us “get” ideas sooner than others. Often,
a few of us get the same idea at the same time. I believe our minds are like
radios! That is, we only receive the signal (idea) on the station to which we’re
tuned. What we do with the ideas we “hear” is our choice. Most, if not all
of the time, we do nothing. ideas2sell.com
is an opportunity to do something.
Sincerely,
Larry
Larry Goldberg, CFP, Founder
ideas2sell.com
