Everyone loves… no wait, not everyone but most people enjoy talking about new ideas. There are thousands of books and websites all dedicated to ‘Ideation’ and the art of coming up with a new idea. I understand the appeal of ‘new things’ but it is knocking on a door already open to most. I guess that is why people write about it so often.
What is more interesting to me is the art of beginning to not like an old idea. There are less books written about this subject. This is as important to the world but less sexy, more difficult and harder to approach.
In life we need to give as much consideration to the things we need to stop doing as the thing we must start doing. It needs deep thinking and self reflection.
This idea is fundamental to writing these blog posts. I often start a post with a witty line or an idea I love. It is either funny or smart and then I carry on building it into a two minute short read. Then when I review the post, something is not right. If I am brutally honest, often it is the thing I loved most which needs to be cut.
The writing community call that ‘kill your darlings’. To think objectively about an idea enough that you can start to fall out of love with an old idea just as freely as you fall in love with a new idea is the aim.
PS. My first weekend for a while not doing Xmas decorations. So I am writing this with warm hands and no red nose from the cold. I have seen my last cable tie for a while I hope. Do you like the house? It looks beautiful in the snow. Hearty handshakes for me to you.
Sea's The Day 