“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world!” - Joel Arthur Barker

“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.” - Matsuo Basho

“Held in the palms of thousands of disgruntled people over the centuries have been ideas worth millions - if they only had taken the first step and then followed through.” - Robert M. Hayes

“The profit of great ideas comes when you turn them into reality.” - Tom Hopkins

Ideas must be followed by action.  These quotes really sum up the need for innovation consultants.  Businesses have literally hundreds of ideas at their disposal, but most do nothing with them.  Conversely, many companies will march forward with action, but without a clear idea of the problem they are attempting to solve.

“The mere formulation of a problem is far more often essential than its solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skill. To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle requires creative imagination and marks real advances in science.”  - Albert Einstein

“Every great advance in science has issued from a new audacity of imagination.” - John Dewey

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create.” – Albert Einstein

“Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.” - Pablo Picasso

Scientific analysis and mathematical skills alone cannot endeavor to define problems or seek alternative solutions.  Or, in the business world, you could reword that to say, ‘Cost-benefit analysis and spreadsheet skills alone cannot endeavor to define problems or seek alternative solutions.’  They are merely tools for understanding what a problem looks and feels like.  Only creative and imaginative thought, when applied with personal knowledge of a problem, can produce solution alternatives, what-if scenarios and the exploration of additional problem causes.

“What is now proved, was once only imagined.”- William Blake

“Life is trying things to see if they work.” - Ray Bradbury

"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."
Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

"I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year."
The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957

"But what ... is it good for?"
An Unknown Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.

"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977

"640K ought to be enough for anybody."
Bill Gates, 1981

One of the best living examples of this type of thinking is the personal computer.  Before 1980, no one could have realistically envisioned that personal computers would be in 62% of households in the United States.  In fact, as referenced above, some of the most ridiculous predictions (using 20/20 hindsight) came from this era.  Today’s business climate is no less frenetic.  Don’t dismiss the imaginative ideas of today, because they may just be the reality of tomorrow.

“Natural resources have dropped out of the competitive equation. In fact, a lack of natural resources may even be an advantage. Because the industries we are competing for - the industries of the future - are all based on brainpower.” - Lester Thurow

“Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.” - Albert Szent-Gyorgyl

The “innovate or die” argument needs no further explanation…if you don’t get it by now, you likely never will.  Good luck.

“Imagination grows by exercise, and contrary to common belief, is more powerful in the mature than in the young.” - W. Somerset Maugham

EVERYONE is creative.  The young and the old.  The rich and the poor.  The healthy and the sick.  Do not let the distractions of life, the expectations or judgments of others, and the beliefs you have gathered deter you from always exploring your imagination.

The human mind once stretched by a new idea never goes back to its original dimensions. - Oliver Wendell Holmes

An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail. - Dr. Edwin Land

The best way to get a good idea is to get a lot of ideas. - Linus Pauling

Creativity consists of coming up with many ideas, not just that one great idea. - Charles Thompson

A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something. - unknown

"If you can dream it, you can do it." - Walt Disney

Never be afraid to fail.  Only through failure will you be able to move forward confidently.  Create as many ideas as your imagination can conceive.  Again, you may fail with one specific idea, but you will be left with many, many more to potentially succeed.  Listen to your subconscious…it works even when you sleep.

“The stone age didn’t end because they ran out of stones.” – unknown

This is, without a doubt, my favorite creativity-related quote.  It reminds me that the “better, faster, cheaper” mantra existed even during the proverbial stone age.  I would argue that creative idea generation, rather than necessity, is the mother of invention.

There are literally thousands of fantastic creativity-related quotes out there.  Next time you are stumped with a stubborn problem, find a quiet place and reflect on the wisdom of others.  My bet is, you will find your answer sooner than you think.

Have a GREAT week!!!