Ideas give us power. They motivate us. They propel us forward. Ideas, at least the right ones, can set us free.
Ideas are alive. They want something from us. They beg us to let them out. Ideas want to fruit. They want to see the light of day and to be made whole. Inside they are unrealized, but outside they are part of the ether; nonexistent, but consciously aware that they need you to take action.
Not all of your ideas will see the light of day, nor should they. But still, they groom you, entice you, and work hard to convince you that they are in your best interest. Ideas can consume you, sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way. It’s up to you to understand the difference. It’s up to you to decide which ideas are worthy of your attention. The wrong idea will cause pain. For you? No doubt. For others? Possibly.
But the right ideas can be beautiful. The right ideas can change you, and they can change the world. All for the better. These are the ideas that you need to let out. Don’t let them fester. Don’t let them dry up like a raisin in the sun.
Harlem
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.Or does it explode?
The above poem, by Langston Hughes, begs the question, what happens to a dream deferred?
Change the word dream to idea and Harlem, very poignantly, explains, via questions, what can happen to an unrealized dream. Ideas will fester, like a sore, begging you to pick at them. And as your mother told you growing up, if you keep picking at the scab, it will never heal.
So, ask yourself, which ideas should see the light of day? Which ideas will better your life and the lives of those around you? Those are the ideas that need to be aired out. The other ones? Let them die. The best way to do that is to bury them with another idea — another dream. Never stop dreaming.
Don’t limit your life by the state of your current circumstance. Allow your current circumstance to become the beginning of your success story. The part of your life that lends to your transformation, not the part that hinders it.
Always, always, always remember that even though ideas have a conscious of their own, they need you to be realized. You decide which one’s are worthy of your attention. The others? Let them explode. You don’t need them.