How many times have you come up with a great idea that deeply excited you, only to have it met with lukewarm reception or “we tried that already,” or “that will never work,” or any of the other idea killing comments people often make? The kind of idea that made you feel you were on to something great? The one that could solve a problem at home or in the workplace or in a relationship? And how many times have you let that idea fade, due to disinterest from others, or from that critical inner voice only to have it follow you around in your thoughts? We have all had this happen, and because change is hard and ideas can be scary, it is easy to let our good ideas pass into oblivion for a multitude of reasons (excuses). So, this quote was a game changer for me:
“Good ideas are not adopted automatically. They must be driven into practice with courageous patience.”
—Hyman Rickover, US Navy
Sea change
A sea change is defined as a profound or notable transition (Oxford Online Dictionary). Finding this gem of a quote has created a deep shift, a sea change in my thinking about how ideas and change work in real life, and the necessary courage and patience needed to see something through despite the many ways we and others talk ourselves out of our good ideas. It is one of the many concepts that shores up the foundation of confidence in my own thinking, and gives me the courage and ability to persevere with the ideas that excite me, the ones that create energy and momentum for change. It helps me to swim upstream against our culture’s quick-fix mentality, to take longer view, and on this Monday morning, I feel compelled to share it in the hope it will inspire you to dust off your own great ideas.
What great ideas will you dust off and start driving into practice?