Quixoting™ - A Quest for New Ideas

Testing An Idea On Twitter: My Results

A number of months ago, I began a test on Twitter.  To see if an idea had any merit.  I was curious if Twitter could be used as a free test market for a concept. After all, I could expose it to thousands of people, right?

So I announced my intention here on the blog and launched it:

Using Twitter To Launch And Test A New Idea

The idea was a website/platform that could be expanded to Facebook and other social media sites called Public Dreaming.  It was conceived as a community where people could share their dreams and life goals.  You see, a lot of people keep those things stuffed so deep down that the dream or idea never gets out to breathe. 

So I wanted to give people a place to express it.  And, I thought, the reward for that might be to have others view that dream.  If inspired, they might even offer some ideas of their own.  Or, in rare cases, grant that wish.  If they were all-powerful.  Or loaded.

The web concept was something like Twitter.  A public stream of dreams, goals, objectives.  Some simple, some grand and far-reaching.

Now my first impulse was to just get started on the website.  Build it and they will come.  But instead I shared the idea with a few people and got a funny look.  So I decided to do the test.

And now the results:

It was a miserable failure. 

While I got a lot of people to follow me (a few thousand), most were MLM folks or others wanting to do business on the internet.  One guy had a Twitter wishing well.  Similar, but different.  His idea wasn't working either.

I tried to get people to send me an @ message with their dream so I could re-tweet it.  A few did.  Most did not.

Perfect!  There's nothing like a good shot of clarity.  And here I was about to spend some good time and money building a site.  

Some could argue that this was not a real test.  That you can't take an idea out of context (without the real web site).  And you could argue that I quit too soon.  But I haven't quit.  I still own the url. 

I just am not diverting valuable time to it.  Because I know it is not an obvious hit.  Not on Twitter anyway.

Good to know, right?

Ideas In The Idle Mind

I've been taking stock lately. Of my ideas.

Or at least the few that are coming these days. Oh sure, I'm still having them. But they are different.

Different in that they come at new intervals. And they are very focused.

Before I got busy with Spin Strategy, the new job and a new flurry of kids sports, I had a mind at idle. To the extent that can be true of the mind.

An idle mind is allowed to rotate at its own speed. It takes in, I think, more random data and delivers more content back to the conscious mind. And more ideas.

Now I will say that the ideas produced in an idle mind are more quirky and niche. In fact, many are absolutely not worth a hill of beans. Except perhaps to provoke. An idea to build upon.

And because they come from data seen by the eyes and heard by the ears, they often are off-shoots of other ideas. Or, as dreadful as it sounds, may not be a new idea at all.

The idle mind produces more breakthrough ideas. I think.

I say that because my mind today is churning out a lot of content. But not necessarily any new ideas per se.

Part of the reason is that my mind is very busy today. I am forcing it to do a lot. Constantly. Early morning until late at night. And the ideas aren't coming in my sleep.

The other reason is that my mind is also highly focused. A few months back I decided to place limits on what I would focus on in life. At least for a bit. And I decided to put a big focus on the job search idea.

You see, Spin Strategy allows me to put ideas to work, to share in a space where I have a passion and, importantly, help others.

So, busy and focused has not left much time. For just pure idea generation. And writing about the process. Here.

I've missed it and look forward to more fun here on Quixoting. Maybe the key will be finding a way that my writing here can help others.

That seems to be a new and key motivator for me in life. To focus on significance vs. success. Interested? Read a book by Bob Buford called "Halftime".

So, how can I help?

Never Share An Idea With Your Mechanic

A few months ago I was in to see my mechanic.  You see, the Jeep's potential inability to keep up with the hour long commute had me a bit worried about a very public breakdown.  

My mechanic is a really good guy.  Honest and straightforward.  Perhaps the best I've had in my adult car owning lifetime.

The only problem?

He didn't react to my idea the way I wanted him to . . . he didn't get it.

Now, if you are like me, you tend to fall in love with your ideas.  Despite hearing information telling you that you are being a bit naive.  But I tend to believe that if you are passionate about it, you should keep going.  On the theory that if it matters to you, you will not give up when times get tough . . .

So, back to the mechanic.

It all started when he asked me about the Jeep's license plate.  See above. You see, the last time I was in there, I had the old plates on there and he could not find the new ones in his computer system.

Here's how the conversation went:

Mechanic:  License plate?

Me:  Q-X-O-T-I-N-G

Mechanic:  Q-X-T . . .

Me:  Q-X-O-T-I-N-G

Mechanic:  Uh, OK.  Does that mean something?

Me:  Well, I write a blog about ideas.

Mechanic:  A what?

Me:  A blog.  An online journal.

Mechanic:  Like a diary?

Me:  Kind of.  I share my ideas and try to inspire others to do the same.

Mechanic:  You lost me.  What's the plate mean?

Me:  Oh, it stands for "Quixoting" which is based on the life of Don Quixote.

Mechanic:  I don't know who that is.

Me:  The book about tilting at windmills?  Written by Cervantes?

Mechanic:  (blank stare)

Now, before I say anything more, know that my mechanic is a pretty smart guy. So I really thought he would know who Don Quixote was and perhaps understand the connection.  Nope.

So, after I left the car with him, I started thinking about his reaction.  Had I completely screwed up in choosing Don Quixote as my namesake?  Am I as delusional as the Don himself?  What if this were my plan for income down the road?  Was I being selfish and pig-headed?  Don't answer that.

It is an interesting question.  Some small business consultants I'm sure would say: absolutely DO take all your ideas to your mechanic.  If he doesn't get it, toss it out the window!

I'm curious if any of you have experience here?  If an idea doesn't pass the mechanic test, should we drop it? Maybe change it?

Again, in my situation, Quixoting is not something I'm creating as a money maker. So, the pressure is off.  

But, is it really?

Starting something new? Stick with it.

A few days back I wrote a post that asked: "Your idea. Is it time to throw the baby out with the bath water?". The premise was that there may be a time when you've tried everything and have given it all the time and nurturing it could have needed. And that, despite the painful admission, it is time to move on. After thinking about this for a few days, I feel a need to present the other side . . . 

There are very few things in life that start out with a bang. A new business, a new blog or a new magazine all take time to "become". Need a visual image? 

Have you ever been to a wedding where they create that champagne waterfall? If not, imagine a champagne glass pyramid with a base of a hundred glasses and a progressively smaller number of glasses as you move up. At the very top of this pyramid is a single glass. When the waiter begins, they slowly fill the very top glass. Once that top glass is filled, the waiter does not stop, right? As a result, the champagne cascades gently over the edge and into the glasses below. The more that gets poured, the more quickly the glasses below are filled until all of the glasses are bubbling with cold and tasty liquid. 

Also, the time it takes to fill that top glass may vary based on what you are trying to accomplish and in what industry. Your cost of champagne (cost to create and promote your product) may be twice the cost of mine! 

As a new blogger, I worked hard to create interesting content here on Quixoting. I posted regularly and tried to reach out to other bloggers in the idea or entrepreneurial space. My results so far? 

Well, as much as I'd like to tell you that the world is beating a path to my digital door, it's just not so. Now, don't get me wrong. I did not start writing this blog to become famous or to make a bunch of money. I did it because I felt compelled to do so. And, at this point in life, I have decided that I need to act on my ideas and compulsions. 

I've heard from a number of you and really appreciate your kind words. But, this entire blog is about taking action and about sharing the ideas that, for so long, languished in my idea book. Now I can proudly say, despite not being famous after 4 months, that I have already achieved one of my goals. I have acted. 

Back to my original point. 

Had my only goal been to attract a wide audience, I might see things differently. In fact, I might be thinking about whether it is time to hang it up. But the reality is that I need to keep pouring the champagne. If I stop, I already know the outcome (dry champagne glasses and unhappy wedding guests). 

So I am motivated by the fact that you came to my wedding and are waiting for another glass of champagne. If I keep pouring, perhaps I can convince a few wedding crashers and a friends of yours to stop by for a glass. It's free, right? 

My point is that everything takes time - often A LOT of time. After all, the world is a big place. Sometimes the internet feels even bigger. So. Don't give up on your ideas. And once you launch them, give them the time and opportunity to grow. 

If you are reading this and especially if you've been with me for a while, thank you. 

A champagne toast to you. 

Cheers! 

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

When your idea is no longer your idea

The original title of this post was: "When an idea slowly becomes obsolete". I was planning on writing about an idea I had to make it easier to carry those plastic grocery bags from the store. The bags become heavy and the handles cut into your hands causing some pain and reduced circulation. The obsolete part comes as more and more cities are beginning to ban the plastic bags due to the impact on our environment.

So, what happened? Well, my Google search for information on the idea led me to a place I did not want to go . . .

The dreaded website of the guy who not only beat me to it but has a product already out there for people!

His product, above, is called "Shopping/Grocery Bag Carrying Handle" - not a lot of creative naming there, but hey, at least he's in the market! If you don't want his handle, go to his main site - Wupen Walking Sticks - if you are a fan of walking sticks, he's got a couple of nice ones . . .

My idea was a little different. It was plastic and more of a half cylinder to cradle the bags. My customer was the grocery stores - they would buy these cheap and give them away to their customers as a service. In my wildest of dreams, this patent would become as prevalent and profitable as the coffee cup sleeves you get at Starbuck's. Haven't we all thought about retiring on that one?

So, is this idea obsolete? Are plastic grocery bags a dying breed? What do you think?

I could still go after this idea. You know, get my own unique patent and battle it out. I'll have to come up with a pretty good argument for the retailer as they work on pretty slim margins. I'll bet plastic grocery bags will be around for a while yet - after all, what will we use to clean up after the dog?

Hmmmm.

The Value of Ideas - Heard on NPR

An interesting interview on NPR this morning. The Morning Edition segment called "The Long View" interviewed Wilbur Ross, the billionaire investor. He discusses his investment strategy and near the end provides his take on the value of ideas. Here are a few of the quotes:

"Good ideas really are simple ideas."

"It's important to have a sound idea, but the really important thing is the implementation."

"I'd rather back a mediocre idea that was brilliantly executed than a brilliant idea that was poorly executed."

"The idea is the easier part if you're careful. The harder part is implementation. And that's what really makes or breaks any of these things."

As a big fan of NPR and always being appreciative of discussions on the topic of ideas, I found myself strangely defensive as I listened to this last part of the segment. After some thought, I realized that my impulsive desires that helped to launch and "power" this blog were somewhat in conflict with his more structured, "brilliantly executed" mantra.

In truth, was my launch of this blog brilliantly executed? Was it ever a brilliant idea? If neither, should I have just stayed on the shore avoiding the raging surf? What do YOU think?

And then I realized that the real value in my launching this blog was not to execute brilliantly - although I hope I please a few people out there who love to create and nurture ideas. The real value was somewhat selfish. I have ideas in my head and my heart that simply need to be released and after years of ignoring them, my impulses got the best of me.

This is my Don Quixote moment in the sun . . . and I'm relishing every impulsive minute.

If you put lipstick on an idea . . .

As referenced recently by Barack Obama:

putting lipstick on a pig
"A term used by many, generally in reference to someone who may be trying to make something or someone look appealing or attractive when it quite clearly will not work, or will only deceive the dumbest of people."
- According to one author on the Urban Dictionary

So if the analogy works for political discourse, I wondered how it could be applied to the evaluation of ideas. I also wondered if there were good examples out there of ideas that are being smeared with lipstick, disguising their true value.

I think the source of some really bad ideas come as a result of picking a simple solution to a complex problem. It turns out, I only had to look in my own idea book for an example:

About a year ago I came up with an idea to solve the problem of insomnia in adults. It came to me one day when I was retelling a story to a friend about an apartment I lived in while working in Trenton, MO. My apartment there was below street level and had no windows. It was pitch black unless the lights were on and on many Saturdays I woke up around 1:00PM. So, I thought that if you could control the environment in which someone sleeps, they could enjoy a long, restful night. The idea was to create a special hotel that did just that. Sleep4Ever Inn, let's call it.

Of course this wouldn't be the place you stayed while visiting Disney World, in fact it could even be right down the street. Each room would have king size beds within a large pod that blocks out all light, sound, smells and reduces vibration. Only those wanted or supportive senses would be tingled at your discretion.

So the problem is a big one and it is an emotional one - perhaps worth a lot of money if it worked, right?

Where does the lipstick part come in?

My simple solution of controlling the environment sounds good but it tackles only one small aspect of what causes adult insomnia. According to eMedicineHealth there are three categories of insomnia with causes ranging from jet lag or excessive noise (I could have helped here) to serious medical issues like anxiety, depression, asthma and heart disease (no chance).

As you evaluate your own ideas, think about the problem you are trying to solve, how big it is and what portion of it you are addressing. Oh, and lay off the lipstick.