Quixoting™ - A Quest for New Ideas

When a ceiling fan just doesn't cut it . . .

A while back I wrote a post here called "Does anyone need a blanket in the summertime?"  The idea solved a problem for me (on paper) in that I need a heavy cover when I sleep.  Summer or winter.  That fact made summers uncomfortable and hot.  So my solution was a blanket with big holes in it that would provide the weight without locking in the heat.

Well, that idea has not yet found its way into the new Bed, Bath and Beyond catalog.  I didn't build a prototype and neither did you.  So we'll try again.

This new idea tries to solve the same problem in a different way.  Not sure there's really a problem to solve here?  I can't help you there.

So this idea tackles this problem with moving air and an ability to self adjust as temperatures go up and down under the sheets.

And, well, some ideas need to be illustrated.  So, here's more of my famous art work.  Used sparingly here to make a point.  

I know what you are thinking.  What about a ceiling fan?  Wouldn't that do the trick?  Not for me.  I end up with a frozen face and dry eyes.  OK, it's probably not that bad . . .

So what are the pros and cons of this idea - from my perspective: 

PROS:

- invisible as everything is under the tucked sheets

- works in summer and winter

- included thermostat maintains a consistent temperature under the sheets- helps to avoid bed sweats (not that I ever have those, of course.  And can be set for 10 minutes before wake up to aid in the "return to the living"

- quiet fan provides a peaceful white noise (if any at all)

CONS:

- perception issue?  A bit clunky?

- will my feet be colder/warmer than the rest of me?

- what if my husband or wife gets hot and I get cold.  Problem?

OK, now it's your turn to turn up the heat on this idea or give it the cold shoulder.  Come on.  I can take it.

A man and his dog

My dog Casey likes to walk on the sun-side of the path.  As we depart our wet, sandy beach he shifts to the the right to catch every possible inch of brightness.  I'm not sure he really cares about the warmth. After all he's a dog with lots of fat and fur (more than I have).  I shift along with him.  I dropped a piece of jellied toast on him this morning.  He tried to grab it from me. And he wants to reach for its sweet taste as we walk along and up a gentle hill.  Funny, he can lick so many strange places, but is unable to reach this one spot to get the jelly.  Grape jelly.

----

I wrote that in a journal back in 1996.  Casey was 6 months old at the time.  As I write this post, Casey is on his bed up in our master bedroom.  Up near where I write.  

I've been thinking a lot about him lately. He is 12, almost 13 and is beginning to feel his body slowly break down.  So tonight, the focus is on my dog.  I grabbed a Pacifico from the garage refrigerator, helped him up the stairs and was reminded of the reference in my old journal.  Reminded of the last 12 years of life. 

If you are worried that a "Marley Moment" is on the way, well cover your eyes.  No promises.

Casey is not in any pain.  At least not according to the vet.  But he is not the puppy he was even a few short years ago.  The puppy whose eyes lit up like fireworks when the opportunity to run, chase or wrestle came available.  

So in addition to the journal entry from '96 I wanted to write something short to help me remember a few times in his life and, by default, this time in mine.  Because things happen so much quicker in a dog's life. Aging from 8 weeks to 8 months as well as the aging process near the end of a dog's life.

----

I could have been a better friend.  More balls thrown.  More walks.  More moments rolling on the floor playing keep-away.  Unintended scratches on the arms and chest as evidence of a job well done.  This little puppy who slept - wedged in between the car door and the passenger seat of the rental car - the whole way to the airport.  Born in Carnation, Washington.  Poor little guy barked so loud we could hear him in the cargo hold as the plane began its jerky movements on the tarmac.  We took pictures of his mom and dad.  Lost the camera.  

Our dogs have a hold on us that is hard to explain.  Their fully stimulated posture and jerky tail wagging.  So violent as their entire body has to support the obvious pleasure at your arrival. Even on my worst days, I was forgivable, lovable and bearable.  To him.

I feel guilt, fear and a slight hesitation as I approach him today.  Wondering how his wobbly legs really feel vs. the feelings I project upon him.  On a very short walk a few weeks ago, his back legs simply collapsed.  And he looked up at me from the ground as if to say:  "See!"  Like I was trying to toughen him up.  Not breathing hard, not whimpering or crying.  Just unable.

He still wants to play though.  You can see it in the eyes.  Through the haze there are small little bright spots.  The edges of what used to be huge bursts of fire.  Reflections of his memories. Memories of those days when his body unleashed horizontal rocket departures.  From my bare feet to a point some 100 feet away where a wet green tennis ball bounded along.  Waiting for the clamping of canine teeth.  Snatching victory.  Preparing for a rubber-band return back to me.  To drop the wet ball on my warm toes.

----

As I look down at him now through the amber colored Pacifico bottle.  I see the sharp-eyed puppy of 10 years ago.  As he catches my glance, his eyes open wide.  His chin lifts off the bed and I'm sure he's wondering whether it's time to go.  Play.

What are you doing with your ideas?

If you have been a reader here at Quixoting you know that this site is about encouraging you to take action on your ideas.  My historical malady may be yours.  I spent years creating ideas and logging them into my idea book.  A book that only I read and only I reflected upon.

Hey, at least I had the ideas and wrote them down, right?  

I used to think that was good enough.  Now I know the truth.  That having ideas is 25% of the value. The rest comes in sharing, building upon and implementing your ideas.

Only then do you feel the excitement of innovation and creativity.  Even if people don't love them . . . or even like them.

So now I am sharing my ideas with you on this blog and on my Spin Strategy blog (job search strategy and psychology) and website.  "So what's the big deal?" you might ask.  Isn't this just an online journal vs. a paper journal?

The difference is that the ideas are being shared with the world in the most global way possible.  They are now out there - available for supportive feedback, blistering criticism or no response at all. Quixoting, in a way, is my own online incubator.  A place to learn, once and for all, whether these ideas were interesting quirks of my brain or real, sustainable ideas.  Ones that could drive growth for me or someone else.

The cool discovery is that I now have an ongoing, living canvas where I can drop my ideas and let them grow.  Either deep roots . . . or mold.

Either is OK.  Because by sharing them I value them.  And, in turn, value myself.         

Here's 4 inspiring words . . .

There are four words out there that, when used together, can inspire great things to happen.  Or convince people that a solution is on the way.  Now you may have four words of your own to inspire (but be careful, there are kids in the room).

The four words I am thinking of?

I have an idea.

Simple, short and very promising.  Deceptively simple.

They can follow a number of other statements or situations.  Things are looking pretty rough and the crew is getting worried.  The problem is not being solved, it just seems to be getting worse.

Then someone says:  "I have an idea".  These four words are powerful because of their optimism and because they suggest that someone has been thinking.  Thinking beyond the scope of others in the room. Thoughts perhaps that have been germinating for days or weeks.  That just now became apparent.

Maybe it is someone who doesn't talk all the time.  Someone who has been a good listener and has been waiting for the right time to take all that perspective and offer a well-thought out suggestion.

And, yes, there is a risk that the idea may not be spine-tingling.  It may even be naive or unworkable.

But it's an idea.  And I love ideas.

The New Product Obstacle Course

About 15 years ago I was working at a very large global company.  I was focused in the new products area working for a smaller, more entrepreneurial division.  We were a growth division and were expected to launch a lot of new products.  Makes sense, right?

This division had a great, low cost business model.  One that was free of significant launch costs and many of the natural restrictions that keep ideas from getting out the front door.  Depending on your mindset, that might sound like the perfect scenario.  The company wants new products.  We can launch them easily and with relatively little cost.  A marriage made in Heaven . . .

The problem?  The division had a history of launching products that did not succeed.  The products were launched in niche categories, with little marketing support and without consumer research to determine purchase intent or confirm package size or flavors.  

OK, so maybe they just got unlucky, right?  But that wasn't the only issue.  Over time, the negative consequences are not just related to inefficiency or a lack of growth.  Some of the larger issues had to do with the effect on distribution partners and the sales organization.  They were losing confidence in the division's ability to identify, launch and support new products.

So, when it is too easy to launch a new product, there's only one thing to do.

Put up a brick wall.

In absence of a brick wall, You need another way to slow down ideas and make sure they are properly vetted prior to launch.

The thought came that an obstacle course was a good visual and might provide an interactive and tangible way to force more discipline on the new product launch process.

So, the new product obstacle course was born.  

The New Product Obstacle Course

A detailed and objective new product development path that requires a product concept to prove its worth before test market introduction and beyond.

Each obstacle included a qualitative (subjective) or quantitative (objective) hurdle.  In the final program, each product had to "clear" thirteen different obstacles prior to launch.

The effect?  With the microscope lowered on new ideas, the natural optimism was replaced with a more sober sense of the difficulties of succeeding with new products.  The reality is that 9 out of 10 new products fail.

Our goal was to better the odds by asking more of our ideas.

So if you are in the idea business or the new products business, make sure you put the work in up front. 

Make sure the products you launch deserve their time in the sun.

Make them earn it.  

Driftwood memories

 

There's a stretch of freeway that slices through Berkeley, California that I always looked forward to driving when I was a kid.  I say "driving" even though I spent 100% of the drive in the back of the station wagon.  Facing backwards.  Part waving and part making faces at the following traffic.

There's a good amount of traffic through there.  A fact that did not phase me.  It's presence extended the view.  A view that captured my attention for all the years of my childhood.

The reason for the regular drive was a visit to Grandma's house.  Christmas Eve, Easter and various birthdays.  So not only were there treats upon arrival but plenty of wooden ones along the way.

This particular spot became a gathering point for local artists, I assume.  Artists or hobbyists.  People who had an urge to build something.  They used driftwood, metal, sticks and hubcaps.  Whatever they could find, I guess.  Maybe there was one of Don Quixote?  If not, I should take a week off work and go build it . . .

One of the best aspects of the short drive-by gallery was the deciduous nature of the art.  It was always falling over and being re-built.  Often as slightly different - other times as just . . . different.  So each time we drove past we were guaranteed to see something new.

The sculptures depicted people, vehicles, animals and the like.  All created with an impulsive nature based, I always thought, on what was found that day.  I always imagined a person and their friend scouring the waterside and shouting to each other "Hey, this would make a great nose!" or "How about this for the sword?"  Because, well, I used to do that as a kid.

I believe that this fascination with the driftwood sculptures in Berkeley helped to form a creative bone or two in my body.  This, along with other influences, suggested to my brain that this might be something I'd like.  The problem, up until this point however, is that I thought I had to have a talent for things in order to actually do them.

Again, this is one of the reasons Quixoting (or "taking action on your ideas") struck me as important. You do not have to be a talented artist or a well-funded entrepreneur to take action on your ideas.  You just have to possess the desire (and the courage) for your ideas to come alive and be seen.

As you can see in the picture above, I do carve driftwood from time to time.  It's not very good artistically.  But I don't much care about that part.  I don't carve it to make money or impress anyone.  I carve it to relax my mind and to release ideas from the brain and heart.  Ideas that I don't know I have until a piece of wood suggests a path for its exit to the world.  And if you don't act you'll never know what's truly simmering in that head of yours.

Just like a cloud in the sky, every piece of driftwood suggests a new shape or vision.  And while it is fun to imagine what they could be . . .

It is a lot more fun to make it happen. 

Excuse me. Is this seat taken?

On a full Southwest flight this morning. 

Remember, Southwest is the airline that forces members of the human population to engage in a battle unlike no other in life. This battle does not involve swords, knives or even harsh words (most of the time). No, it is a battle of sheer will. Of patience and of reluctance. 

The cool thing is that getting on a Southwest flight, especially a full one, allows you to participate on both sides of the battle. First as a "seeker" than as a "defender". Of course I am talking about the battle over middle seats. Now don't get me wrong. I like elbow room just like the next guy. But I'd sure like a world where fewer battles are waged. 

Also, Southwest deserves some credit for easing the "getting on the plane" battles. While it feels a bit "grammar school" to line up based on a number, it seems to work (don't even get me started on the people who feel a need to get everyone in exact numerical order). 

But back to our topic. 

The mid-seat battle begins on the ramp as you begin to plan your strategy. What? Plan your strategy? Yes, if you wait until hitting the plane, everyone will see your deer in the headlights look as you fill the aisle in the front of the plane. In my view, the "seeker" has a number of reasonable tactical options. The decision on which to use is dictated by factors such as fullness of flight, time of day, how tired you are and your extrovert quotient (OK, I made that last one up but basically, "Are you feeling social?"). 

Here are the seeker tactics: 

- Quick Scan and Pounce. Don't think, just sit. Let's face it, the longer you wait, the longer you give for defenders to assess your battle readiness. 

- Wander and Waffle. This is what most people seem to do. Hesitate, look deep into the plane, then again behind you. Confusing for all, to be sure. 

- Friendly Joe or Jill. Position yourself as the best option. A full plane means someone will sit in that middle seat. Friendly may invite a return glance from a defender signaling their interest. 

- Back of the Bus. The easiest and least mentally taxing. Kind of a "give up" but makes defenders happy. 

Now, I am sure there are many more seeker tactics. Perhaps you'd like to share one of your own? 

In terms of defenders, you become one as soon as you find your seat (aisle or window). And your initial seat selection frames your mind set in the battle. Window seat? Let's face it, you don't have to get up for a seeker and you don't look down on a middle seat seeker the way a aisle person does. Aisle seekers look down on middle seat seekers? Yes, because aisle folks planned well in advance, having checked in days ago to get an "A" on their boarding pass. An open middle seat is an expectation. 

So, what are the tactics for defenders? 

- The Block. Anything here will do. Your bag on the middle seat. Crossed legs. Leaning forward looking in your bag. The message? This row is temporarily unavailable. 

- The Snooze. No one wants to wake up a sleeper, right? 

- No Eye Contact. If seekers are looking for a connection, this tactic will remove you from contention. 

- Look Mean. Boy does this one work! Who wants to sit next to a grump? Not me. Not a great way to go through life, but an effective tactic. To really play this out? Follow the mean tactic with no greeting and a quick groan after the middle seat seeker gets settled. 

- Hand Select. The right smile at the right person at the right time can invite good karma and help you fill the inevitable seat with someone who might be OK as a seat partner. 

My advice? Expect a full plane and let your extrovert quotient that day (!) dictate your tactical decision making. Don't be mean or rude. You never know who you might be pushing out of your life. If you really need space, fly at less busy times or pick an airline where you can get a confirmed seat. 

But once you choose Southwest's busiest flight, expect a battle. 

Searchin' the world for . . .

A while back I told you about one of my "younger in life" fantasies.  You can read that post here.  It was to sing, play guitar and write music.  Whether I was good at it didn't matter much because it was solely a creative outlet for me.

Did you read my last post titled "Creativity takes courage"?  In that post I suggested that the quote from Henri Matisse was incomplete.  I said it takes courage "when shared".  Creative work unshared may deliver great therapy but it is not a symbol of courage.

I bought my guitar after college and was living in Manhattan Beach with two college buddies.  I was courageous.  I shared.  And I was soundly laughed out of the house for doing so.

But I didn't care.  

We always gave each other grief about everything anyway.  One of my roommates modeled in a Mervyn's catalog (or so he once bragged) when he was a kid and we never let him forget that.  So, I guess I deserved the ribbing.

But I never let the ribbing stop my sharing - in fact, I forced them to listen to my songs.  After all, I was proud of them.  Even if the chords were embarrassingly simple.

So I wrote these song lyrics in 1992.  I wish I could explain what prompted the searching exactly, but I will tell you it all happened just before I met my wife.  I guess you could say I was searching for a mate, a purpose, a belief system . . . well, I guess everything.

Sources

(V1)

Searchin' the world for

Sources of information

Trying to find an answer

We can believe

The hopes of, the dreams of,

The fears of this life

Who am I, where are we

Questions, questions

(V2)

Searchin' the world for

Sources of affiliation

Where to find comfort

A warm bed, a free heart

(Where) they'll understand you

Teach you and reach you

Your with us, don't be scared

Welcome, welcome

Search for me

Search for me

Search for me

Set me free

(V3)

Searchin' the world for

Sources of fascination

Looking outside ourselves

To raise up from within

Blonde musicians in strange positions

Or heros on a screen

Party goers and ball throwers

Wishful, wishful

(V4)

Searchin' the world for

Sources of compensation

We rob each other, step on our brother

With no end in sight

Working hard, feeling scarred

From a life we have chosen

Slow it down, can we slow it down

Oh careful ,careful

Search for me

Search for me

Search for me

Set me free

(V5)

Searchin' the world for 

Sources of rejuvenation

After all the pills, the doctor bills

Our lives remain unchanged

Looking for a holy core

A life of solutions

He waits up there, says don't you dare

Oh hopeful, hopeful

. . . .

Searchin' the world for 

sources of information, affiliation,

fascination, compensation, rejuvenation

They provide the fuel that drives the tool

we use to create life

You might agree we're never free

from a day of illusion. 

So as I finished re-writing the lyrics (tonight, just now), I felt a new reluctance.  A reluctance to share. That feeling that often prevents the sharing of things that were personal when originally created.  

For me, though, the first half of the therapy is the creating.  The second half of the creative therapy is in the sharing.  Even if the posting of the lyrics here acts only to release them into a huge open space where they may never be seen again.  It is still honoring your ideas by giving them a stage - even if a very small one.

I think I'll call it "Message In A Bottle Therapy".

So, hey, if you get this on the other side of the world . . . open it up and read it.  Put it to your own music if you like.

Then send me a note back.  Or an MP3.

"Creativity takes courage"

The title of this post is an often used quote by Henri Matisse.  A self portrait of him is featured on the right.  I usually don't like to use common quotes because the internet is full of overlapping ideas and images.  In this case, however, it is such a nice fit with the Quixoting tag-line (see banner above) that I thought it would make an acceptable exception.

I also saw it in a unique way.  We took the dog on a walk this morning on a trail here in Mission Viejo - one that includes a garden of artistic structures. The quote from Matisse was written there among the art.  I guess that gives it some street (or trail) credibility.

I was instantly reminded of my inability to produce art - specifically painting or drawing - something I've always wanted to do.  I do like to carve a bit (more on that later).  And I will tell you that my daughter has an early passion and talent where I do not.

But really I think this quote is incomplete.  It should say "Creativity takes courage when shared."  Now perhaps it is implied, but for the purpose of this discussion, let's assume it is not.

What if you spend hours writing or painting, carving or singing and no one is ever exposed to it?  Is that courageous?  Well, no.  There's nothing wrong with doing so if your creativity is solely a therapeutic outlet.  That's OK with me.

But, if you secretly desire for the world to see what you've done or can do but are scared to suffer the slings and arrows of criticism, then your creativity is just a fun little hobby.  Again OK.

What if you want to share your creative ideas but aren't quite ready to do so or don't know how to do it?

Here's an idea.  Share it with me.  Send me an e-mail with a photo or image of your work and I will share it with my readers from "anonymous".  Whenever you are ready, I will add your name to the post and you can quietly, in effect, sneak your idea out of the bottom drawer and onto the world's stage.

Interested?  Find my e-mail in the About link on this blog.  

The world is waiting . . .