Why Creativity Is Not the Same as Ideas

“Almost everything I’ve done, I’ve done through my own creativity.  I wish I could say that for about ten thousand other drummers.” -Buddy Rich

I heard someone say the other day: “if all entrepreneurs have is ideas, then why are they the one’s to own the businesses”.  It’s become apparent to me, everyone seems to think there is some big idea that makes entrepreneurs successful or entitles us to own our businesses.  Like we’re hiding some magical ingredient to success from the rest of the world.

Sure, you can have ideas too, we have them a million times a day.  Everyone has ideas.  Some ideas fail, some ideas succeed.  As entrepreneurs will tell you, “every hand’s a winner, and every hand’s a looser”.  The media just feeds you these great stories about how someone “got their big idea”, because every entrepreneur has to have to a great idea story for the media.

It’s not ideas that set us entrepreneurs apart & it’s not what makes us successful (when we eventually are).  It’s our creativity in handling our ideas & obstacles…and perhaps it’s not the same thing.

Handling Obstacles

If you put a boulder in front of an entrepreneur’s path, they’re going to automatically attempt to find a way around it.  And they’ll get incredibly creative at how they find a way around it.  Whereas other people just say “Huh, a boulder.  Guess I’m stuck”.

Where Life Takes Us

Or we might just run off down a different path.  The entrepreneur doesn’t care.  The entrepreneur is one who starts off going to Hawaii, but get’s lost, hitch hikes a few times, then winds up in Egypt, gets lost in the desert.  Almost dies.  Then somehow usually winds up in Hawaii anyway, or just learning to love where-ever he did wind up.

Oh Shit

This is not a big “idea” moment, alot of times these are really lots of little “oh shit” moments.  We’ll get ourselves into situations, then trust our ability to get out of them quicker then we got in.  So in reality, the majority of us…are really utter failures the first 2 or 3 trips around the mulberry bush.

Everything Starts Small

Everything starts small.  You expect something so big so fast, but it never works like that.  Sometimes, you’ve got to leave ideas alone, and wait till your in a better position to start something.  You’ve got to be really selective & analytical about which ideas you execute.

Persistence & Perseverance Pays

Persistence + Perseverance= Pay.  And nothing else.  That is what makes us successful, and this is what entitles us to own our businesses.  It’s not money, it’s not talent.  It’s not skill.  It’s not one particular idea.  You know why?  All those things can be acquired.  It is the motivation, the dedication, the drive, the persistence, the commitment, and the will to survive of the keeper of that business.

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