You grab your toothbrush, flick on the TV with a remote, log onto your Facebook, and sit back every so often kicking yourself saying, “Why didn’t I think of this?” It seems so obvious now that these things have been made. But, as the saying goes, life only makes sense backwards.
So what is it about those few people who did think of it? Why were they lucky enough to put that simple idea into action and walk away with all the credit and all the money? And more importantly, what else is left out there that we’re still missing?
Sadly, I don’t know the answer either. But there is definitely a more realistic approach than just simply looking at what’s already been done and feeling stupid for not thinking of it yourself.
We make the natural mistake of believing that there is some logical progression toward new technology, but we lose sight of the fact that it is usually just a blend of a bunch of things we already have and understand. So, blinded by the excitement of releasing something totally new that no one has ever seen before, we get caught up in visuals of epic launches, millions of dollars, and a stunned public.
But the reality is, we simply have to innovate what is called the “adjacent possible.” This guy named Steven Johnson throws this term around a lot, basically explaining that “new” things are simply the next obvious blending of old things. When reapplied to a new goal or a different angle, they appear to be innovative, but are much more natural than we realize.
So the point is – no, you probably will not invent the “next big thing.” If you do, congratulations for being in a small minority of the world. But what you can do is you can start piecing together the old things in brainstorming for new. Maybe it’s the company you work for, maybe it’s your family home, or maybe it’s simply you as an individual. There are pieces of things that have been successful in the past and can be reapplied with a simple shift in perspective.
Stop focusing on the big picture and being bogged down by Apple’s new releases. We’re all innovative, it’s just a matter of staying practical and not thinking so much.