Have you ever wondered how ideas really form? I'm not talking about how brains burn calories to formulate patterns. Instead, think about the social aspect of idea formulation.
We don't live in a vacuum. We are bombarded by a whirlwind of shapes, sounds, textures and even conflicting or challenging people. It is so easy for 'No' to be our first response to a stimulus that we think will force us to change our comfort patterns.
Think about those patterns for a second. Our pastors confront us with pattern changing concepts, so do our laws, and even our natural resources. There are so many ways we accept challenges, which make us think about changing our lives or the way we work. New concepts emerge which blend all the stimulus we face, and we turn it into an acceptable process for comprehension and understanding.
Each one of us formulates ideas, approaches, life designs, and reactions based upon these exposures. This bombardment of exposures can feel excessive and overwhelming, and yet it is a necessary component of problem solving. We prepare solutions, allow concepts to mature, and 'feel' an idea in our subconscious mind more than our conscious mind. This is the source of the spark.
It is all these external stimuli that put our brains into problem solving mode. Our brains help us by putting us with like-minded people, those with whom we share life experiences, or similarities in the taste of culture, or with people we strive to be like. When we share with these people, no matter what the topic, we get back more. Their ideas, their experiences, their mere presence may ignite the spark of a new passion, a way of thinking, or a brand new idea in you. You may inspire the same for them.
Doors are meant to be opened. It doesn't mean that you have to walk through it. But by allowing and accepting the door you create one more option. By exploring that resource, sharing, exposing, and listening, you may find that a new spark, the spark of the next great idea, will form in you. Don't let your first answer be 'No'.
Stephen Opal
