It Ain’t Who Says It, It’s Who Spots It

Great ideas are all around us. 

You know when you think you’ve come up with something good, only to realize somebody else thought of it first? 

Or, you say something and someone else says, “Hey, I was just thinking that?!”

Great ideas - they’re out there. Like waves on the ocean. It’s just a question of who is going to ride which one. 

In life, in business, in whatever - I love this line from John Webster (h/t Dave Trott),

It ain’t who says it, it’s who spots it. 

Build a Personal Archive. Pay attention. Gather the thoughts, curate them to the world. 

And, as Paul Arden would add (h/t Trott, again):

It’s not where you take it from, it’s where you take it to.

Let your curiosity lead you. Capture the lightning. Make a lantern out of it. 

That’s the job.