When People Reject Your Ideas

Two time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling is quoted as saying: “The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.”

As a “creative” requests come continuously for fresh, innovative ideas. If you’re a creative person, at some point you’ll find a boss, investor, studio, or colleague who rejects your ideas. Sometimes it will happen so often you’ll start to question your own ability, and wonder if you’re really creative at all. In these moments (which will definitely come) my advice is:

Never base your creativity on other people’s opinions of your ideas. And secondly, see Pauling’s quote above. Do not ever stop concocting new ideas.

Early in my career I worked with a boss who disliked so many of my ideas he eventually forced me to leave. Low and behold, I quickly discovered many other clients were willing pay me better to execute the very ideas the initial boss hated! It reminded me about Walt Disney being fired by a newspaper editor because, “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.”

Years later, I had a few friends that asked me for advice about their careers. But they simply refused to listen to any advice – solicited or unsolicited. It was incredibly frustrating because those simple ideas could have made a profound difference for them. But time after time, they used excuses like “I’m simply wired differently,” or “You don’t understand this particular situation.” The truth is, they weren’t willing to put in the discipline and hard work of making those ideas happen.

But rather than be discouraged and letting those concepts fade, I simply launched a blog and started pouring that advice into it. It lead to a great many other assignments.

After his first book – the iconic thriller “Carrie” – received 30 rejections, writer Stephen King finally gave up and literally tossed it in the trash. But his wife fished it out and encouraged him to resubmit it. He finally found that person who recognized the value of the idea, and the rest is history. Today, he’s one of the most prolific and best-selling authors of all time.

Great ideas don’t have an expiration date. Never give up on them. Occasionally refine and rework them, but always continue to believe in them. Need ideas? Contact Blue Sand Group today!

To Your Success
Scott