Idea Killers

Throughout your long, beautifully fantastic life, it’s very likely you’ll interact with a wide range of different characters. Some of them will be awesome. Some of them will not. And the most despicable among this group of non-awesome people, will be those that try to rob you of the pure joy that comes from having a fresh idea.

Let’s refer to these bastards as “Idea Killers.”

You’ve probably encountered at least a handful of idea killers in your life… These are the folks that—the moment you come up to them with an idea that you’re excited to share—will tell you it’s no good.

They’ll say your idea won’t work.
They’ll say someone else is already doing it.
They’ll say you’re not good enough or experienced enough or smart enough to bring that idea into reality.

In the wise words of philosopher DJ Khaled, “they don’t want you to win.”

Idea killers kill ideas because it’s painful for them to see someone successfully execute against an idea—it makes them jealous.

It reminds them of the regrets that they themselves harbor about having let their own ideas die… Maybe they let fear freeze them from bringing their own ideas to life. Or, perhaps they let someone rob them of a great idea in the past and now they want to pay the pain forward.

Now, these people—these idea killers—are disgusting, distracting, and despicable…

But you wanna know what’s even worse than an idea killer?

Someone who lets their ideas get kidnapped and killed by an idea killer.

Here’s an interesting thing to think about: Each neuron in your brain can make over 100 distinct connections with even more neurons in your brain. Each of these neurons has a piece of information within it—some of which are random, some of which are very specific.

And when these random and specific neurons collide and combine with one another, we get what we call new ideas…

And what are ideas, anyway?

Well, they’re essentially just fresh thoughts that arise as a result of the experiences and images and learnings—both physical and psychological—connecting with each other in the brain.

In short: neural synapses fire and wire together over and over again throughout your life.

It’s almost like your brain is always dancing with itself—every time you learn something new, your brain combines it with something old—and then, BAM! All of sudden, you get that awesome business idea, or you come up with a funny joke, or you rearrange the furniture in your living room in a way that makes the whole place look more open and spacious.

The bottom line here is this: Ideas are valuable.

In fact, ideas are a lot like currency. Some ideas are worth pennies, while others are worth millions.

Just like you wouldn’t let someone to rob you of the money in your pocket, you shouldn’t let someone rob you of the ideas in your brain.

Ideas are valuable… And your ideas are just as valuable as anyone else’s.

Now, does that mean that all of your ideas are worth pursuing? Nope.
Does it mean that all of your ideas are going to work? Nope.

But does it mean that each and every single one of your ideas is worth respecting? Absolutely.

Actionable insight(s)

1. Start an idea book. This can be any notebook in which you store your ideas. Importantly, it should be a portable notebook that you’re willing to keep with you at all times. Something that’s big enough to hold your ideas, yet small enough to keep within reach at all times… It should be something you’re comfortable taking with you everywhere you go—but it should not be wired or powered by batteries. Keys, wallet, smartphone, idea book. As of late, I’ve been hooked on the Panama notebooks by British brand, Smythson (not an affiliate link).
2. Do not ever allow idea killers to kidnap and kill your ideas. You be the one who ultimately decides upon whether one of your ideas deserves to live or die. Treat your ideas with respect.