Aged like a fine wine
You’ve got that 10-year-old idea that’s been marinating in your mental cellar, don’t you? An invention, a business plan, a book perhaps?
It’s time to bring it to daylight, dust it off, and see if it’s ready for the world. As the old saying goes, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.”
We’re going to unshelve that decade-old idea and, using the principles of some successful luminaries, make it work now.
Brace yourself, a sip of nostalgia is about to kick in.
Albert Einstein once quipped, “The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.” Clever guy, that Einstein.
Now, while he might have been pondering relativity, we can apply this wisdom to our languishing ideas too. Time gives us a unique lens to review our ideas, refine them and adapt to the changing world.
That novel idea you had might not have worked a decade ago, but the world has evolved since then.
Technologies have changed, economies have fluctuated, and social paradigms have shifted. Your idea has aged, and with age comes refinement. Pull that idea out and view it from today’s perspective.
Take a step back, squint a bit if you need to, and see the big picture.
Remember the guy who gave us the iPhone?
Steve Jobs had the idea of a computer for the masses back in the ’70s. But it wasn’t until 2007, when technology caught up with his vision, that the iPhone — a computer in every pocket — became a reality.
Jobs understood that great ideas need the right environment to flourish.
He waited for technology to advance, for the internet to become commonplace, and for society to be ready for such a device. Take a page out of Jobs’ book — assess the environment and see if it’s ripe for your idea.
