Source: Ignatius Otchere-Asamoah | dr.ignatiusoa@gmail.com
In
the beginning was an idea – Ignatius Otchere-Asamoah
The
fountainhead of every great enterprise, invention, revolution
or a movement is an idea. Everything on earth originates with a
thought - an idea. An Idea is the unending natural resource of all
times and the commonest denominator between the underprivileged and
wealth, uneducated and educated, undeveloped and advanced nations as
well as bound and free men.
Inside
the spirit of every human being is an idea—a thought, a
concept, a notion, an intent, mental impression, or a grail in life
regardless of the geographical location, socioeconomic and
educational status, religious and political affiliations, or age.
The
Goldfields of South Africa and China may be exhausted , the Oil
fields of Russia and Saudi Arabia may be used up, the diamonds
reserves of Botswana and Democratic Republic of the Congo may run
out, so is all tangible natural minerals this generation has
hinged its hopes on for future development and survival since
time immemorial, but ideas have the tendency of outliving it's
originator. “A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea
lives on,” said the 35th President of the United States, John F.
Kennedy.
An
idea is a thought or conception that potentially or actually exists
in the mind as a product of mental activity; a formulated thought or
opinion; an indefinite or unformed conception; or an entity (as
a thought, concept, sensation, or image) actually or potentially
present to consciousness. Hence, any productive and positive
thought, image, concept, or sensation that comes into your mind needs
serious consideration if you want valuable ideas.
The
speed and efficiency of the development in virtually every facet of
human endeavor in the 21st century has outpaced any civilization in
antiquity. The advent of technology has also set the platform for
ideas to be communicated in milliseconds across the globe and
actualized in unconventional ways . Gone were the days when only few
elites and countries in certain parts of the world were noted for
inventions and ingenuity. Today, the world is inviting everyone
to the banquet of ideas irrespective of your background . The world
care less about pedigree or history, it just want you to show
what you do or bring to the table as a young man or woman, old man or
woman, educated or uneducated, rich or poor, black or white, strong
or physically challenged. Regardless of who you are and how you look
like, your ideas can create the world.
The
world has been riding on wave of ideas evolving from unusual places
of the globe as well as unconventional individuals especially this
past 20 years. Therefore, in spite of how massive, improbable ,
strange, ludicrous, or impossible your ideas may seem to you or
others today, never discard or disdain it.
Don't
be tempted to undervalue your ideas at its embryonic state because it
may be just what the world needs for such a time as this . French
poet, novelist, and dramatist of the Romantic Movement, Victor Hugo
was convinced that “All the forces in the world are not so powerful
as an idea whose time has come.”
Your
idea may be a change catalytic and a creative force in one
compartment of society or all sectors of the human endeavor in the
years ahead, so hold on to it with a bull dog grip till its time
come. At times in life, all you need is just an idea (one idea),
whose time has come for you to be thrust into greatness. American
entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker, Jim Rohn believed that
“Ideas can be life-changing. Sometimes all you need to open the
door is just one more good idea.”
The
following is a story of an ordinary young person like you
whose ideas transformed the world around him:
At
age 14, in poverty and famine, a Malawian boy built a windmill to
power his family's home. William Kamkwamba, from Malawi, is a born
inventor. William started borrowing books from a small community
lending library located at his former primary school. He borrowed an
8th grade American textbook called Using Energy, which depicted wind
turbines on its cover. He decided to build a windmill to power his
family’s home and obviate the need for kerosene, which provided
only smoky, flickering, distant and expensive light after dark.
First,
he built a prototype using a radio motor, then his initial 5-meter
windmill out of a broken bicycle, tractor fan blade, old shock
absorber, and blue gum trees. After hooking the windmill to a car
battery for storage, William was able to power four light bulbs and
charge his neighbors’ mobile phones. This system was even equipped
with homemade light switches and a circuit breaker made from nails,
wire, and magnets. The windmill was later extended to 12 meters to
better catch the wind above the trees. A third windmill pumped grey
water for irrigation…
After
being forced to drop out of school due to his family not being able
to afford the tuition, Kamkwamba, took part in the first event
celebrating his particular type of ingenuity called Maker Faire
Africa, in Ghana in August 2009.
Kamkwamba
is one of four recipients of the 2010 GO Ingenuity Award, a prize
awarded by the Santa Monica–based nonprofit GO Campaign to
inventors, artists, and makers to promote the sharing of their
innovations and skills with marginalized youth in developing nations.
With the grant, Kamkwamba, will hold workshops for youths in his home
village, teaching them how to make windmills and repair water pumps,
both of which proved to be transformative skills for this young
African leader.
“All
achievements, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea,”
Napoleon Hill. You may have an idea(s) to impact the
world from local to global but your current condition does not
seem to reflect your expectations, never give up; keep those creative
thoughts alive by doing the following:
CAPTURE
- Find a workable and effective technique of capturing the creative
ideas that permeates your mind. Never let an idea slip without
documenting it, it could be written on a paper, record on an audio
device, a smartphone, or any other means that seem efficient for you.
Idea (s) can also be transferred from our workable (temporal) memory
to our permanent memory through a steady rumination. Napoleon Hill,
American author in the area of the new thought movement, suggested
that “Any idea, plan, or purpose may be placed in the mind through
repetition of thought.”
NURTURE
- Polish physicist and chemist, Marie Curie advised, “Be less
curious about people and more curious about ideas.” What you give
your attention to inhabits your life and grows stronger, so it is
with ideas. Ideas need nurturing to grow strong and be
ingrained in our minds. You nurture an idea by creating a constant
conducive environment through meditating on it, reading related
subject, dialoguing with people with like perspective or purpose.
“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small
minds discuss people,” Eleanor Roosevelt.
ENTHUSIASM
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, “In the realm of ideas
everything depends on enthusiasm... in the real world all rests on
perseverance.” Ideas are supposed to be electrifying because
it is would probably be scrutinized by cynics, pundits, “idea
killers,” contenders, or even well-intentioned people who may want
to buy into it. Thus, if you are not consumed or passionate
about your ideas, it will be shattered with little opposition or
analysis. “Ideas excite me, and as soon as I get excited, the
adrenaline gets going and the next thing I know I'm borrowing energy
from the ideas themselves,” says American fantasy, science fiction,
horror and mystery fiction writer, Ray Bradbury.
IMPLEMENT
- “First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into
ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The
beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination,” said
Napoleon Hill. “The value of an idea lies in the using of it,”
Thomas A. Edison. Many ideas die in the process of
transforming them from the conceptual stage to the actualized stage.
Cautiously implement your ideas with sound judgment, good
information, and adequate research at the opportune manner. Your
ideas may be great and lovely but failure to execute in the right
environment and season would make your ideas take a nosedive.
Ideas
are the bedrock of civilization and a driving force behind the
sustainability of the human life. Without ideas, men would be living
in caves, walking miles bare footed, plagued with incurable diseases,
etc. but it take fortitude, courage, and persistence to believe that
one’s ideas is viable. It been said that “Many great
ideas have been lost because the people who had them could not stand
being laughed at.” Hence, you have to resolve to hold to your
ideas regardless of what you may go through in life and know that
your ideas might change and affect someone’s life some day.
Finally,
let me assure that :
The
moment you resolve to take hold of life with all your might and make
the most of yourself at any cost, to sacrifice all lesser
ambitions to your one great aim, to cut loose from everything that
interferes with this aim, to stand alone, firm in your purpose,
whatever happens, you set in motion the divine inner forces the
Creator has implanted in you for your own development. Live up to
your resolve, work at what the Creator meant you to work for the
perfecting of His plan, and you will be invincible. No power on
earth can hold you back from success - Orison Swett Marden.
