Innovating is often child’s play. Adults become children: tinkering, exploring, playing, most often with an intense focus baring on obsession. An idea hits you and you just move: “I’m going to skateboard to the park.” So, off you go.
The first few bumps down the sidewalk are daunting. “thedump, thedump”. Heck, you can even fall down. But you push hard. Before you know it the wind is blowing past your ears and the bumps, though inevitable, are no longer such a threat. The conviction is strong, and the destination is clear, the decision to move is a good one.
Yet here’s the funny thing.
You run into a couple friends along the way. “Where are you guys going?”
“We’re going to the lake. Jimmy got a sailboat for his birthday. Wanna come?” There you stand, scratching your head. You really wanted to go to the park, but you’re young, your a child playing, you’re not set in your ways, you’re open to new ideas. Modifications to the original plan. So, off you go.
You like the sailing, but you get sea sick. So, you’re standing at the dock watching your two friends sail and you run into a third kid whose sailboat isn’t working right. He can’t fit the sail into the board. A part is broke. While you try to fix it, he’s whirling around the parking lot on your skateboard. Next thing you know, you’ve modified the part to fit onto your skateboard and you pop in the sail.
Your on your skateboard holding your friend’s sail. You fall a couple times. You’re other two friends are watching, laughing, jeering from their sailboat. But then a gust comes and you start zooming around. “Whoa, awesome! Let me try!” The two friends on the sailboat are now back on shore, waiting their turn, “hold the sail lower, yea, like that!”. A few more kids show up.
Hours pass. Everyone has a blast.
You spend that night lying in bed staring at the ceiling, your mind going a mile a minute.
