It’s frustrating to watch bad ideas spread around the internet. Like butter on bread, they melt into our feeds and soak into our psyche until they becomes beliefs. And watch out, because once we adopt a belief, after it has hardened, it’s difficult to let it go.
It’s hard to get the butter back out of the bread.
One of those ideas is that ideas are worthless. It’s all in the execution they say.
I’m guessing this idea comes from startup culture, which seems to have melded with work culture generally at this point, which if you’re American is central to your life. And from that perspective, a business perspective, ok fair enough. Ideas are cheap or even worthless. Even though I disagree with that too, I’ll give it to you. Let’s accept that business ideas are a dime a dozen. Business execution is what matters. Fine.
But business ideas aren’t the only kind of ideas. You all know that right? Did I take vitamins this morning or stupid pills?
There are a lot of different kinds of ideas. Like, a lot.
It is indefensible to say ideas have no value. That’s stupid. It’s really stupid. Nevertheless, bring it up in almost any group and someone will push up their nerdy glasses and chime in to parrot something about how actually, it’s all about execution.
If ideas held no value, voting would be pointless.
If ideas held no value, talking to each other would be pointless
If ideas held no value, they wouldn’t give awards for the best ones.
I can go on here, and for pete's sake, maybe I need to, but I’m getting worked up and frankly, I need to compose myself.
Ideas are valuable.
Everyone who says otherwise is wrong and probably just trying to sound smart.
In fact, let me go out on a limb here, ideas may be the most fundamental, powerful, and extraordinary things that we stupid little humans are capable of producing. Now, where's the tylenol?