People with great ideas fascinate me. I am talking of people like the Wright brothers who created the airplane, Ford who modernized car production, Jack Ma who brought China to the world with his web development business, and Wozniak who engineered the first Apple. I wonder how they are able to conjure such brilliant ideas.

The word idea comes from the Greek word “idein”, which signifies “to see” or “to perceive.” But it is not just simply seeing or perceiving but being able to understand something in the broader sense. The names I just mentioned exemplifies the meaning as they did not only perceive but was also able understand beyond the idea as a concept. They have moved the idea from thought, to creative mental process, and to its tangible form.

The value of the idea lies in its function or how it serves people. Great ideas are able to change a person’s behavior: a good product moves people from not buying to buying, a good app helps solve personal or work problems. It cannot be like Chindogu, or the Japanese art of useless and weird inventions. Social media, cellphones, book printing, wheel, spear, or knife are examples of great ideas that turned into a product and has provided value.

A strong idea serves as the bedrock for positive actions and remarkable outcomes. It is the catalyst that sets things in motion, rather than the reverse. Every tangible creation originates from the realm of imagination. Ideas are the wellsprings of purpose, motivation, and strategic planning. Furthermore, clear ideas facilitate effective communication, enabling us to share our thoughts, collaborate, refine, and orchestrate with others to transform ideas into reality.

Exceptional ideas are borne out of individuals immersing themselves in their surroundings and engaging with the world around them. For instance, Wozniak thrived within the realm of electronics, while Jack Ma, an English teacher, utilized his linguistic skills to bridge the gap between China and the Western world. “The really successful entrepreneurs we know are not unusually separate from others; on the contrary, they are especially well plugged into the culture. What gives them the ability to sense what their customers will want is not some kind of mysterious alertness that gets “switched on” but their capacity to read the conversations of mankind. They can pick up the sense of where their fellows in the culture stand, what values they adhere to, what purposes they pursue, what they consider beautiful, and what they deem profane.” Disclosing New Worlds.

The free market economy provides individuals with the opportunity to explore and engage with their world. It acts as a vibrant arena where people are at liberty to generate ideas, advocate for government policies, secure funding, confront and resolve challenges, and compete with others. This dynamic environment fosters a constant flow of activity within the economy. Moreover, active participation and interaction in this economy enhance the likelihood of generating exceptional ideas.

Great ideas are not conjured in the mind, but rather a result of the amalgamation of various sensory inputs derived from immersing oneself in the free world.