Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new
- Albert Einstein.
A client of mine recently brought me this book by Paul Arden (Paul was an author, former creator director of Saatchi and Saatchi and a photographic gallery owner). It's not a book I'd typically come across or indeed purchase but I like it because it endorses why making mistakes, taking risks, running with ideas and learning from bad decisions is actually really good for us. It's a challenging read as it encourages it's reader to turn thinking on its head.
I love this from the book and wanted to share.....
What is a bad idea?
Ideas are a matter of taste.
What is a good idea to some is bad or boring to others.
A good idea is a clever solution to a problem that has not yet been solved..
If an idea is not taken up and used as a solution to a problem it has no value. It becomes a non-idea lying useless in a drawer - it is a waste of space.
Ideas have to be applied before they are recognised as good ideas. Even a bad idea executed is better than a good idea undone.
The longer it is used and tested the better the idea is considered to be.
That's why the wheel is considered to be the best idea ever.
I had an idea to set up Arch inspire around 6 years ago now - some thought it was a bad idea to give up my corporate career with a very young family and were not convinced it would work. They also said it was too risky and that I'd be making a mistake - I thought differently!
It's good to be brave to try something new and to challenge yourself and others.
