Ideas are a dime a dozen

Back January 2008, I attended the first National Youth Congress, held in PWTC. One story told by one of the speakers that day had a deep impact on me. It went something like this (if I remember correctly):

"I once went to India on a business trip. On this business trip, I was supposed to visit two companies, where one of them was much larger than the other. I decided to visit the smaller company first. After finishing my negotiations one of the directors of the smaller company, he asked where I was heading to after this? I told him I was to visit another company, the larger one. The director of the smaller company then gave a warning to me that the larger company was well known for stealing other people's business ideas. Even so, I still decided to visit the larger company. Upon arrival at that company, on top of the door of it's head director, there was a plaque. It read 'Ideas are nobody's property'. "

What I learned from this story is if we are so paranoid of people stealing our so-called brilliant idea that we refuse to tell others about it, then in the end, we achieve nothing. In fact, if we don't intend to act on it, it's probably better if someone did steal your idea, if only to see it become reality.

Have you ever questioned yourself when you see successful entrepreneurs out there who built their business around a simple idea? So simple you sometimes wonder to yourself "Why didn't I think of that?". Well, in all likelihood, any idea that he/she or you came up with may have also already been considered by many other people.

Often the most difficult part is not coming up with the idea itself,but its implementation. One could have a brilliant idea, but without proper implementation, even if you somehow came up with a way for permanent life or space warp technology, you'll be bound to fail. Implementation of an idea involves planning the next move, getting partners and seeking resources to turn the idea into a reality. Many factors have to be considered, many of which are beyond our control, yet if you are so paranoid as to not even let your pet dog know of your idea, then you have already failed.