What are some ideas that have sparked in your mind?
What ideas that you have or have not openly shared?
What are great ideas that you have recently come up with?
Why do you choose to share or not share your ideas?
In one of my previous blogs articles, I mentioned talking about and sharing opinions.
You might be asking what is the difference between opinions and ideas?
In my view, opinions are about topics that can have many different viewpoints that can be debated. Whereas ideas are about brainstorming and coming up with different options or solutions to solve a problem.
Sometimes you are willing to share your ideas and sometimes you might not feel so comfortable in sharing.
Why is that?
Is it due to fear? Fear that people might think your idea is stupid? Maybe that you think your idea is stupid?
Here’s the thing: there are no stupid ideas!
Think about all the inventions and activities that we now have. I am sure at one point someone thought that these ideas were stupid. However, many of the stupid ideas have been lucrative.
Need some examples or proof that there is no such thing as a stupid idea?!
Bungee jumping.
Who came up with the idea of bungee jumping? Who thought that it would be a good idea to tie your feet together with a big rubber band (elastic cord), jump over a great height so you can bounce back up, and keep bouncing up and down until all the kinetic energy dissipates?
Doesn’t that activity sound dangerous? It doesn’t seem like such a good idea when it comes to life and safety, and might you even say: stupid? But it can’t be all that stupid when you think about it.
And yet…There are people who are willing to pay to bungee jump and you can practically find a place that offers bungee jumping no matter where you live.
Electricity.
Who needed electricity when there were candles? People used candles to help them to see in the dark and they had animals such as horses to help them with large machinery.
Thomas Edison thought it would be a great idea to invent the light bulb and early electricity. I am sure there were many people during his lifetime that thought he was stupid for wanting to invent the light bulb when they already had tools to help them to see and do their daily chores.
And yet…look at us today! Where would we be if it wasn’t for Thomas Edison? I don’t know about you, but whenever my power goes out, I realize all things I can’t do and how much electricity is needed.
What I wanted to show you with these examples is that there are no stupid ideas. I am sure at one point these ideas were perceived as stupid and yet here they are for people to enjoy.
Of course, whether you choose to share your ideas is up to you. However, don’t let the fear of thinking that your idea might be stupid prevent you from sharing your idea.
Here are three tips that that might help you to feel comfortable with sharing your ideas in your communication:
Tip #1 See No Stupid: There are no stupid ideas (maybe some dangerous ideas or think twice ideas and yeah it didn’t work out ideas, but with some tweaking it could or did work ideas)
Some ideas may not work, but that doesn’t mean it was a stupid idea.
Tip #2 Speak No Stupid: Someone might have said ‘that’s stupid’, and yet…
At one point someone might have thought that an idea was stupid; however, think of how many of those stupid ideas came to fruition and became very lucrative.
Tip #3 Hear No Stupid: Sharing ideas is brainstorming
Sharing ideas simply means that you are brainstorming and coming up different options and solutions to solve a problem. When you brainstorm you are allowing the ideas to flow without judgement until there is no more to share.
The next time you are in a communication situation, and you want to share your ideas in that communication context, just remember these three tips: See, Speak, Hear No Stupid.
Tip #1 See No Stupid
Tip #2 Speak No Stupid
Tip #3 Hear No Stupid
If you are driven to communicate with confidence, have your messages, be heard and understood, and repair any communication breakdown in your personal communication relationship, then you should take a look at my ebook 5 Strategies For Effective Companion Communication! Grab your free copy by signing up below:
Warm regards,
Grace CW Liu
Communication Navigator
W: GraceSOULutions.com
ABOUT GRACE
Grace CW Liu believes there is a solution to every problem including communication and conversation problems. Everyone can find the solution they seek by using the guidance of grace that is in you, with the grace of spiritual support, and Grace –me– as your Communication Navigator and support system.
My passion is to help sensitive, conflict-phobic, and introverted women have effective communication so they feel valued and heard in any conversation.
Through studying and observations, I’ve realized why communication breakdown occurs and the solutions to solving those problems. I’ve presented these solutions so that communicative partners can achieve effective communication!
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