There are many ideas floating around the collective unconscious, which can be akin to the global psyche of the world.
The beginning of an idea is usually like a seed that's planted in our mind that later sprouts into a plant. This means ideas can be refined or reiterated, provided we play an active part in the process.
However, there are always some ideas that seem like a light bulb to me, once they light up, they illuminate a particular topic but this is often short lived much like inspiration or motivation.
You can't sit and do nothing with inspiration, otherwise it becomes wasteful. Because inspiration is an impetus to do something, which is born from wanting to be something.
Moments in which we have a spectacular idea and can't put a pulse on it is a frustrating experience to me. You know you know something but you can't tell that you know you know something.
Usually, the missing link is in the lightbulb that comes on and off. While it was on, we couldn't unpacked the idea and put structure into it. So when the light bulb goes off, the inkling of knowing will be there but the how or what of knowing will not be.
Ideas And Outcomes
I definitely agree with the sentiment that the mind is a complex and intricate web that's difficult to understand. There's much we don't understand about it although we seem to live there most of our waking time.
Good ideas are simply ideas that can bring about a good outcome. Here, good is something that's better than an already existing outcome.
For example, with a commuter who gets stuck on heavy traffic all the time, a good idea can be to get a bicycle or scooter and use less congested roads to move from one place to another.
Granted, this isn't extraordinary but it is better than the outcome of wasting much time on heavy traffic. But how was this idea born, was it pre-existent in the commuter’s mind, as in a logical next thing to do or did it emerge from a sudden flash of insight like a lightbulb?
In theory, it can be both. But from observation and experience, I tend to lean towards the latter because this carries an intensity or charge that makes the idea catch our attention and have more potential to materialize into reality.
In experience, the pre-existent type feels like a soft nag on the background with little to no intensity behind it.
Receptivity plays a key part on the frequency of the ideas we receive. The more receptive we are, the more ideas we tend to catch. Having a good mental structure is also key on retaining these ideas.
What I've noticed in my observations so far is that both key aspects can be built and enhanced through being flexible and adaptable. Because they foster an open, curious, and attentive mindset. Which is like a fertile ground for good ideas to land on.
Thanks for reading!! Share your thoughts below on the comments.