No Truly Original Ideas
In just a few hours, I'll participate in my tenth consecutive Global Leadership Summit in Chicago. In my opinion, this is one of the best conferences in the world, and one of the few events I look forward to every year. It will include two jam-packed days of speakers, ideas, stories, and inspiration. It fills my tank every year, and I couldn't be more excited. Even better is that my guy TJ gets to join me for the third consecutive year. Here's the speaker lineup we're about to enjoy:
I've been reflecting on the idea of ideas. We like to think our ideas are uniquely ours. After all, they do get formulated in our brains and projected from our mouths (or fingers, in the case of this blog). However, there are no truly original ideas. Every good idea is formed from a base knowledge, which is absorbed from all around us. Nothing I type of rant about on the podcast is truly my own. Instead, I am blessed with the opportunity to receive knowledge, ideas, wisdom, and experience from others, process it, and formulate new-ish ideas of my own.
I'm a big believer in acting like a sponge. Think about the little kids in your life. Children absorb EVERYTHING! "But why?" "But why?" "But why?" Their curiosity knows no bounds. However, it's common for adults to get complacent in their curiosity once they leave their schooling years. I've been there. Life gets busy, we think we know enough, and we get set in our ways. The consequence of this approach to life is that we can lose perspective, fall behind on knowledge, and get stuck in our own existing ideas.
Instead, I believe we would all be better off continually seeking new ideas, knowledge, and perspectives. Books, movies, podcasts, online videos, or even a coffee with someone who has something to share. None of these are expensive (mostly free), and we have instant access to some of the brightest minds in the world.
Undoubtedly, any good idea I've ever had on this blog (plus the bad ones....) can 100% be attributed to other people who have blessed me with their knowledge, ideas, perspectives, and experience. That's why I get so jacked up for the GLS each year. I will most certainly go home better than when I left. And if I lean hard enough into these new ideas, I may be able to add more value to your lives as well.
That's the opportunity we each have every day. Always stay curious. Keep growing. Continue learning. Then, share your new-ish ideas with the world so they can grow and develop their own new-ish ideas.
Based on the speaker list above, who are you most curious to hear about? I’m excited to share some of their content in the days to come!
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