People Who Say Ideas Are Worth Nothing (or $1) Are Wrong!
We all get the point. A great idea without execution results in nothing.
100/100 idea x 0/100 action = 0/100 results.
You multiply anything by zero, the result is zero -- yes, we all get the point.
But the generalization that ideas are worth nothing -- or, according to a poster hanging in my father's office growing up, ideas are worth $1 -- is absolutely false and ridiculous. If ideas are worth nothing, than what is worth something?
Ideas are everything, and in 2013, great ideas are source of wealth.
Consider this:
- If you want to get paid for KNOWLEDGE: Knowledge is expected to be free. Someone smarter than you has shared what you want to get paid for -- for free. You and I have all the knowledge of the universe, conveniently stored in our pockets, 24/7.
- If you want to get paid for LABOR: Labor is progressively becoming cheaper and cheaper, and businesses are outsourcing more and more of their responsibilities every year. People are losing their jobs every day because someone is willing to do the same task for less money.
What will last the test of time -- forever and ever and ever?
IDEAS. Ideas cannot be purchased, and cannot be generated through an assembly line -- great ideas are only generated through experience. Each person walks his or her own path, and from that walk thinks of ways to make stuff better.
And the best part of ideas -- anyone can have them. The best ideas are not reserved for Harvard MBAs or neuroscientists. Everyone is equally capable of doing up with a great idea once they develop a basic understanding of what makes an idea great (which we can talk about later).
Ideas certainly aren't worth nothing -- they are the only thing worth anything of lasting value. Just about everything else can be done by someone smarter than you, for less.