What You Should Do When People Borrow Your Ideas

No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world. (Robin Williams)

If you are a focused, creative talent working hard at generating fresh ideas and turning them into profitable action to improve the world around you through your business activities, it may occur to you that other individuals, or organizations, are quick to implement ideas they think may be profitable and useful.

Has it ever happened to you that you get the feeling that people around you are making use of exactly the same idea that you had, and perhaps even expressed in some form or another? How did you react to that? What were your thoughts? Did it cross your mind to walk to the closest patent office and get your idea patented?

Nothing else in the world is as powerful as an idea whose time has come.

I am very sorry to disappoint you, but in many countries it is impossible to patent ideas. At least this is the case in Finland. And, if you are openly spreading your thoughts and ideas online, please be prepared to face the fact that you will notice people, and organizations, making use of them.

 

Instead of questioning whether or not someone has borrowed your idea(s), focus upon following:

REALIZE THAT THERE IS SOMETHING CALLED COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS. 

Collective consciousness can be interpreted through the fact that all human beings, regardless of cultural background, share a set of beliefs and values, even awareness, about what is morally and ethically correct.

REFLECT UPON THE SOURCE OF YOUR IDEA(S)

How do you come up with your ideas? Do you carry a pen and notebook with you at all times, and do you sleep with the same utensils on your bedside table in case you come up with excellent ideas during sleep? If not, you definitely should do so. It is worth noticing that since we human beings are “products” of our environments and societies, our perceptions about the world surrounding us are very much based upon a number of facts such as our personal knowledge and experiences, and how we manage to transform our ideas with the help of mental schemes in our brains, as well as using our previous experiences to generate new ideas.

ARE YOU SURE YOUR IDEA IS UNIQUE?

Referring to the previous two headlines, true innovation is often the masterful sophistication of existing ideas/products into a new creation rather than coming up with something genuinely unique. You cannot reinvent the wheel to explain it simple, but you can either refine the wheel or come up with other forms of travel (have we come up with everything possible on that yet?).

EXPRESS POSITIVE EMOTIONS WHEN YOU NOTICE PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS USING SIMILAR IDEAS TO THOSE YOU HAVE. 

Either people/individuals do have exactly the same ideas as you do, and put them into practice in various ways. If you feel someone is really using YOUR ideas, take it as a compliment that people in fact value your ideas so much that they are acting upon them, especially if your objective and/or profession is to influence society around you.

USE YOUR CREATIVITY TO CREATE PERSONALIZED SERVICES AND PRODUCTS! 

The global market is full of individuals and organizations, businesses of all sizes and in all industries that operate and offer their customer exactly the same products, many with exactly the same quality, and even with the same price. Creativity is very valuable these days, especially if you can come up with and brand ideas and products offering your customers something different, something unique, something spicy, and something creative.

REMEMBER: You will never be capable of protecting your ideas because you cannot even be certain whether the idea truly originated from you personally. Yet, be mindful about spreading your ideas in public since you may want to focus upon turning your ideas into new business models designed to attract clients, and helping other individuals/businesses in a profitable manner. 

If you want to find the real competition, just look in the mirror.

The desire for success should be greater than the fear of failure.

Girls compete with each other. Women empower each other. The same applies to both genders.

Life is not a competition. Life is about helping and inspiring others so we can each reach our potential.

Trust your crazy ideas, especially when it comes to changing the world into a better place.

WHERE GOOD IDEAS COME FROM by Steven Johnson on YouTube: 

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Thank you for believing in the power of your ideas, and for utilizing them in order to drive sustainable economic development.

Thank you for reading, commenting, and sharing this post.

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