The problem of man is not lack of money-but lack of ideas.
An idea is any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, awareness, or activity. Ideas are more powerful than guns, money and positions. One divine idea can make an impact for generations even yet unborn.
According to Robert Schuller “Almost every great idea is impossible when it is first born. The greatest ideas today are yet impossible! Possibility thinkers take great ideas and turn the impossibilities into possibilities. That’s progress.” Ideas can be volatile. There is wisdom in putting your ideas on paper, because while it’s merely in your mind other things can crowd it out.
‘Ideas sometimes come in dreams, visions, or in a reflexive, spontaneous manner or serious reflection. When you throw away good ideas, you throw away fortunes and breakthroughs.’ Charles Townes of the University of California won a Nobel Prize for inventing the Laser. The laser is a device that generates narrow beam of short wavelength, high frequency light. The invention has revolutionized science, medicine, telecommunication and entertainment. Lasers are used to cut metals, perform surgeries among other things.
What brought about all these things? It was an idea. The idea to create an intense, narrow beam of light (the laser) first dawned on Charles Townes as he sat on a Washington D.C Park beach among flowering shrubs in 1951. The whole world is benefitting from his idea.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee a British computer scientist, invented the World Wide Web (www) in 1989. According to Tim, “In those days, there was different information on different computers, but you had to log on to different computers to get at it. Also, sometimes you had to learn a different program on each computer. Often it was just easier to go and ask people when they were having coffee…”
Tim thought he saw a way to solve this problem – one that he could see could also have much broader applications. In March 1989, Tim laid out his vision for what would become the web in a document called “Information Management: A Proposal”. Believe it or not, Tim’s initial proposal was not immediately accepted. In fact, his boss at the time, noted the words “Vague but exciting” on the cover. “It was really important that the web should be able to have anything on it, but the idea that it would end up with almost everything on it…it seemed like a crazy idea at the time,” he said in an interview with the BBC to mark the Web’s 25th birthday. Tim went on to change the world forever with his interconnected system of computer networks. Were it not for Sir Tim Berners-Lee and the World Wide Web there would be no Facebook, Google, and YouTube.
The most tragic waste in life is the waste of a good idea. Not every good idea is God-given.
Concerning ideas, take note of the following:
- Not all good ideas are great ideas. Learn to sieve the useful ones.
- Initially, an idea may seem crazy or impossible, but that doesn’t mean it is not workable or possible with time.
- Ideas are meant to solve crisis and not to create problems.
- Invest in, develop and process your idea into a finished product, the end result is wealth.
- Don’t be interested in making money with your ideas, rather use your ideas to impact the world positively.
Ideas are turned into solutions to solve crisis. Look around in your environment, society or nation and find a need to meet with your God given ideas. The problem of man is not lack of money-but lack of ideas. Once your idea starts solving problems, it turns into a money spinner for you. Get a useful idea and change the world positively!
Lesson: The easiest way to conquer poverty and be relevant is to use your ideas to meet a need.
