Natural Knowing  Ever get a ticket for something you didn’t do and were told not to go to court because it wasn’t worth the time and money to fight it? Ever heard the expression it’s not worth going to the mat for, a reference to wrestling and saving your strength for other fights? Has anyone ever said something negative about a mutual acquaintance that you knew wasn’t true and you let it go to avoid a conflict? What about reluctantly giving in to the advice and council of friends, family and/or colleagues about whether to implement an idea?

Most of the time the advice, conventional wisdom and/or best practice solutions are all about not doing something. Lawyers rarely make a mistake by saying no. And the “no” is almost never followed by you could do this or why not do the other. Generating alternative ideas that might also accomplish your objectives is not their responsibility.

On many occasions we subordinate our own ideas and instincts to the advice of others. Unfortunately, it is just as likely that those giving the advice are in no better position to be correct than we are.

A successful idea need not be the best idea to be accomplished. Tenacity, for want of a more PC word, will stimulate more positive results than timidity. Those individuals with the potential for the next big idea push, prod, cajole, connive, charm and generally do whatever it takes to fully realize their passion. Whether it’s intelligence or arrogance that drives these people, their “natural knowing” provides the blinders needed to focus on and realize their vision. Helping others appreciate and share that vision is the difference between discovering the new world and going for a nice sail after lunch.

It isn’t necessary that all the logical questions be answered before initiating your ideas. If it were, Columbus would have never left Spain, much less Italy, and man would have never gone to the moon and back. What is imperative is keeping an idea alive. The longer an idea survives, the more likely it is to succeed.

Essex Two can put meat on the bones of an idea to make tangible that which is intangible. We have helped our clients present ideas to their clients, customers, officers and boards the way they were envisioned, the way they would appear if completed. Visit the Essex Two website for case studies that demonstrate our ability to serve the success of our clients.

Worth your time:  Robert B. Parker’s Bad Business featuring Spencer, a Boston private detective, is not normally the type of book we recommend. As a detective, Spencer is neither Sherlock Holmes nor Columbo. As a character, he is neither reinvented nor transformed by events that cause self-awareness. But he is very human. His detective process is less deductive reasoning and more cleaning out a neglected attic. What is compelling is his ability to bring imagination and intellect to the expected. Parker as a writer and Spencer as a character provide us examples of how to take pride in doing a task well for the sake of the job and personal satisfaction.