OK, to be honest, Wikipedia does not exactly have anything to say about this blog, Quixoting. But why would they, my site has only been out for 6 weeks! If you are a reader of this blog and want to be the first to build an entry on Wikipedia for Quixoting, you have my blessing!
In the wiki on Don Quixote, however, there is a lot of great information on the classic novel and the way the lead character has been interpreted over the years.
There is a quote on Wikipedia that a friend pointed out to me early on as I targeted Don Quixote as the inspiration for this blog and related concept. Here it is:
The novel is also responsible for the adjective quixotic, which alludes to behavior that is noble in an absurd way, or the desire to perform acts of chivalry in a radically impractical manner.
Absurd. Impractical. That's one way to look at it, yes. A punch in the gut or an opportunity?
Now if you include this quote with the results of a basic Google search, you would say: "Tim, you couldn't have picked a worse character to inspire your blog." People have used the phrase "Don Quixoting" as a negative suggesting a lack of direction, misguided.
In fact, the use of Don Quixote may make people think that this blog's author, me, has a case of the "crazies". You know, one brick shy . . .
So in defense of the "the Don" and for those of you who harbor a concern for me :-), here's how I see it:
1. The idea creation process requires a less than logical approach sometimes. In fact, some of our best creatives in world history shared a few quirks that made them "special" and allowed their creative genius to come spurting out.
2. Once the ideas are in the mind or on paper, one needs to suspend "the Don Quixote inside" to do some strong evaluation to decide which, of all the ideas created, has the best potential to succeed. See my post on this topic.
3. Once decided, the motivation to take action is another chance to tap into the spirit of Don Quixote. Take action. Because the option is to sit on your ideas and never let important parts of yourself breathe in the world of global ideas.
4. The execution of your idea needs to be done with Don Quixote locked in a closet. After being inspired to act, your actions need to be well-thought out and completed with skill and detail. If you are not a business person and do not know what it means to build a business plan, create a budget, sell your idea and deliver it successfully every time to your customers, you need a partner.
So, please do not take from this site that it is OK to launch a poorly planned, absurd idea. But - make sure that if you have done your homework and have an idea that those around you like and believe in, please do not sit on it or talk yourself out of taking action to launch it.
You see, there are many ways to kick-off a new product or idea without it being fully vetted and, I believe, getting your idea out there for the market to evaluate has tremendous merit. Writing this blog has allowed me to share this concept with you in a fairly safe environment. The cool thing is, you have the ability to share your thoughts and comments. I encourage and read every one!
As far as I can tell, I am the only voice supportive of Don Quixote's impulsive and action-oriented personality on the web. Five years from now, my hope is that the influence of this blog and future concept (idea generation, sharing, evaluation, building and launch) will help to balance out the significant perception on the web and in our culture that Don Quixote has little but comedic value to add to the business world.
So, what's holding you back?
Join me in this quest to inspire folks to take action on their ideas. Do not be afraid. If you are looking for a new job and need some options, how about starting a new business?
How can you help? Sign up for my RSS or e-mail feed. Spread the word! I'll keep writing if you keep reading.
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