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I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but not every great idea that you or I have will we get credit for! I know it’s a difficult pill to swallow, but it’s the truth!
I’m not talking about copyright or patent infringement where there’s money or trade secrets involved. There are courts for that.
I’m simply talking about good ideas that no one else around you was doing because it wasn’t “approved” or “safe” to do so, yet when you started doing them out of your own initiative and creative thinking, you were looked at as the outsider for a while.
Then, suddenly others started doing what you were already doing and no one said, “Hey, I got this idea from so-and-so, isn’t it great?” No, they just started doing it because it became “safe” to do so.
By “safe”, I mean they no longer feared being criticized for it.
I believe there are many people with many great ideas who keep those ideas hidden for fear of criticism! If they would just release those ideas, they and many around them would be incredibly blessed!
Now, the normal tendency, when our ideas are taken, is to feel slighted, stolen from, ignored, betrayed by those we trusted to have our backs, and any other host of emotions that may arise when this happens, all of which are pretty normal to feel.
But, I believe there is a better way to view this kind of thing; a way to be more willing to share our ideas rather than keeping them all to ourselves. Let’s explore some of those ways.
There Really Are No New Ideas
The wise man, Solomon, tells us in Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. (10) Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
In context, Solomon is speaking of making discoveries in nature, as we read in Ecclesiastes 1:5-7 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. (6) The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. (7) All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
He’s simply stating that anything mankind discovers about nature in any capacity was already operating that way long before it was discovered.
For example, he says in Ecclesiastes 1:7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
If someone realized that, although the rivers run into the sea and yet the sea never seems to get full and overflow, and they started broadcasting this fact as if it was something new simply because they discovered it, Solomon is pointing out that it isn’t anything new at all.
Their recent discovery of this fact does not mean it had not already been that way for thousands of years.
How does this concept apply to us having great ideas in our generation? Simply put, you and I are not the first ones to have good or great ideas!
Just like I am not the first author to write an article on this topic, I also will not be the last. But, one thing that no one has ever or will ever do is write an article on this topic exactly like me and that is the way we need to view this whole idea of having and sharing ideas!
Way before you and I ever existed, someone, using the resources they had at the time, found a better and faster way of doing things than the accepted norms of the day.
That means they also become the focus of the majority’s ire until their idea became mainstream, then they were forgotten as the one who had the idea and took the risk to implement it in the first place.
They learned personally that, because of their ideas, “first you’re a rebel, then you’re mainstream, and then you’re forgotten”.
Solomon says it like this in Ecclesiastes 2:16 For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.
So, should we just give up on our ideas for fear that others will get the credit or that we won’t be remembered for them? Not at all!!
I would go as far as to say that, because of those creative minds from previous generations, we are able to carry our ideas further today, even if we don’t remember whose idea it was to begin with!
Helping others carry things further should be the goal.
Scarcity or Abundance?
When it comes to having ideas, there are two kinds of people: those who think in scarcity and those who think in abundance. Let’s look at both mindsets.
Scarcity Mindset
For the sake of this article, we will discuss two kinds of people who live with a scarcity mindset:
Person #1) Those who seem to think, “I like their idea, so I’m going to act like it was my idea so I get the credit for it and others don’t!”
Person #2) Those who seem to think, “I want to keep this idea to myself so I get the credit for it and others don’t!”
You’ll notice that Person #1 is not a creative thinker while Person #2 is.
Both of these scarcity-minded people have two things in common: 1) They both take steps to get the credit and 2) They both take steps to keep others from getting the credit!
This is what happens when our value as a person is tied to what others think about us. Such is the bane of living in a social media world!
Your success is not determined by how many “likes” you receive on a social media post. There are people who will click the “like” button on something just because of who posted it and not so much for what is said.
Someone else may post something more original and substantive and hardly get any “likes” at all. Yet, it is quite evident people truly like their content because you see their content getting implemented in real life, and isn’t this more valuable anyway?
The question is, what is more important to you? Getting credit, or making a positive impact? This is a question that each person must answer for themselves, and our reactions to other people implementing our ideas will tell which of those is our true character!
Abundance Mindset
A person with an abundance mindset realizes that there is plenty of room in this life for everyone to share and implement ideas!
They do not seek to keep their ideas to themselves because their whole mindset is to create positive impact wherever they can and make things better for everyone.
They see it as an honor when others think of their ideas as valuable enough to adopt.
The creative person also knows that no one can copy or take away their creative thinking and it won’t be long before they’ll have another creative idea!
People can copy your idea once it has been developed, but they cannot copy the mindset that created that idea in the first place. You either have a creative mind or you don’t!
Those with an abundance mindset are like a river that keeps on flowing and they know that some of their water (ideas) will evaporate into forgetfulness or run into the sea of people who take and implement those ideas as their own, yet the person with the abundance mindset keeps on flowing with ideas anyway.
They keep flowing because the whole intention of their ideas is to bring betterment to everyone and no one can take that away from them!
God sprinkles these kinds of people throughout every generation to be a blessing!
The person with the abundance mindset is generally more at peace with themselves and that is why they can keep flowing when others may even try to stifle and block them!
You and Your Ideas Will Soon Be Forgotten
Solomon points out in Ecclesiastes 1:4; 11 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh…(11) There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.
Again, this is another difficult truth, but accept this truth we must if we would live meaningful and peaceful lives.
Just as we really don’t sit too long and give credit to those who have had great ideas before us, so also will our lives and our ideas be forgotten.
Therefore, let your ideas be more of a gift to those around you than a way to garner your own notoriety. As Paul says in 1st Corinthians 10:24 Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth.
Freely You Have Received…Freely Give
By nature, we want to hold on to that which we perceive will bring us personal credit, while ensuring others don’t get credit for the same idea!
We feel the pressure all around us and within us to be well-known for our ideas and the first to be seen implementing them.
Jesus was definitely an outsider in a world where making money and making a name for oneself was the primary goal of the people.
This we see in John 7:4 For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world.
As God’s people, we should live in a mindset of abundance because we serve the God of abundance! Jesus says in Matthew 10:8 …freely ye have received, freely give.
So, what do we do when our great ideas that we think we were the first to come up with, start getting implemented by others without us receiving the credit?
Learn to answer “Yes” to these questions:
1) Are you thinking in abundance like a flowing river?
2) Is your intention to improve the overall environment for everyone?
3) Would you rather create positive impact over receiving credit?
If you can come to the place of answering “Yes” to these questions, then rejoice, because as the Lord Himself points out in Matthew 6:6 …thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Remember, when the Lord wants to reward you openly, no one can stop it!
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