The pleasure in having ideas is the ability to use creativity to make it visible, to have something we can dream about until we realize it.

Once people have overcome the first major challenge, to choose an idea out of the many they have and start to seek ways to realize it, the next challenge appears. An inner dialogue with worldviews and ideas of self unfolds. The dialogue is a confrontation with the experience they have made throughout life. It seeks to answers a variant of two fundamental questions: “Will my idea be accepted by others?” and “Am I capable enough?”

That type of challenge is toughest when people identify with the answers and their idea. At this stage this can lead to a choice between two approaches in implementing the idea, either development never ends or it never really starts.

The next step in developing that idea often is a search for the right model, the right tool. It’s a quest to create the feeling of being ready to go. A lot of these models are useful. They help to structure a process or an understanding of the market to ease the execution of the idea.

The thing is, it only eases the planning. None of the existing models allow creating an exact and complete execution. A model never can be a complete description of the market, the future nor the execution. By definition, a model is a simplification.

What’s usually missed is an in-depth test of the idea in reality. Finding ways to see the market and see the people who might embrace the idea takes the hard work to step into other people’s shoes and see the world from a different perspective. It requires the willingness to share an idea which isn’t perfect yet, which might not be appreciated as is. It mainly requires the willingness to engage in a dialogue which might transform the initial idea. As ideas become more tangible they could lose some of their brilliance.

You can make this frustration a rich learning experience.

It’s the generous act of accepting other people’s contributions.