The Value of an Idea

An excerpt from "Intangible Assets" by Angela K. Mack

“But I do have an idea in my head before I go in about what I'm going to do.” — Caroline Corr, The Corrs

Everything Begins with an Idea

Everything begins with an idea. It is my opinion that the value of an idea is grossly underestimated. The reason? It is an intangible asset. It’s not something that can be easily measured. However, ideas are the foundation of human existence. A thought is an idea or conception. An idea is like energy. We take it for granted and the average human does not recognize its power until it is gone.

Take a moment to ponder your day. Think about what you ate this morning, what you watched on television, what you read in the paper, what you did at your job, where you recreated after work, what music you listened to. The totality of your day was a series of ideas if you really think about it. What you ate this morning was most likely a product of somebody’s idea.

This morning, I ate organic eggs and prepared potatoes. Some ingenious person was behind the brand of eggs that I ate this morning. This person cared enough about creating healthier eggs and healthier conditions for their hens. Their idea and passion for healthier eggs birthed the product, EGG LAND’S BEST EGGS. The potatoes that I mixed with my eggs were precut and cooked which is extremely convenient for a busy working mom such as me. Some genius probably had someone like me in mind when creating the idea for their product.

The music that I listened to today, the news stories that I read, and the recreational facility that I visited after work are all products of somebody’s IDEA.

How Does an Idea Begin?

Dissatisfaction v. Passion

How does an idea begin? Generally, an idea is born from dissatisfaction or passion. When one is dissatisfied, he or she begins to look for solutions as a means to counter the dissatisfaction. For example, when I began to be dissatisfied about the lack of culture, diversity, and creative expression in my hometown, I began to look for solutions to change my environment. I stumbled upon the forgotten music history of my hometown and began developing a plan to create change. The main components of that plan included educating others and networking about the lost legacy of Paramount Records in Grafton, WI. (See my website for more details www.paramountshome.org.)

Dissatisfaction in the workplace can lead to thinking of creative business solutions to better the company. Dissatisfaction with a product can lead to an invention of a new product or the improvement of an existing one. Dissatisfaction with government can lead to political activism. Dissatisfied with threats to the environment and humans, new environmentally safe and organic products are created.

First is the dissatisfaction, then the brainstorming for a solution, and finally a new idea. I believe that it is built into the human spirit to constantly be seeking for balance. When we accept dissatisfaction as the status quo and put up with it, we are burdened and stressed beyond what we were ever created to handle. But when we seek to find solutions to our dissatisfactions, we are creating balance for our turmoil.

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About the Author | More by Angela Mack
Angela K. Mack is the Marketing Director and a Performing Arts Instructor at the North Shore Academy of the Arts. She enjoys composing music and writing articles and interviews in her spare time at creativeconnectionarts.com. She has spearheaded a revival of Paramount Records with her award-winning music history website. Her passion for spirituality, creativity, the arts, and race relations fuel many of her creative endeavors.

08/21/08