Incubating – I incubate my ideas before actioning

Have you ever had a new idea and told someone who didn’t really care about it as much as you? Getting negative responses before you’ve decided your idea is important could demotivate you to think about it further.

Periodic Table of Skills

Introduction

Have you ever had a new idea and told someone who didn’t really care about it as much as you? Getting a negative response before you’ve decided your idea is important could demotivate you to think about it further. But your ideas should unravel slowly in the world, like a plant undergoing photosynthesis. Before you speak of them, incubate your ideas and foster them. Hold them close and treasure them in the vault that is your mind. Every idea possesses the potential of a new beginning, a redirection of intention. So harvest your ideas, patiently incubate them in the sanctity of your mind before eventually birthing them through action.

Benefits of incubating ideas

1. Unleashes your creative abilities.

2. Helps you to work things out before telling others.

3. Helps you become confident before others are negative.

4. Makes you feel more in control.

5. Inspires more ideas.

Skill example

Before telling others about my new idea, I waited to give it more thought in my mind.

Ziggy’s story

Ziggy is a writer and lives in Cape Town. She loves writing fiction stories and romance novels. Ziggy prides herself on empowering women, and she creates characters who are always strong and inspiring. She spends hours in front of her computer researching locations or the history of a place before creating scenes around it.

Ziggy was working on a story that closely resembled her life but suddenly, she experiences what is known as “writers' block”, and she can’t seem to get past the block to finish the chapter. She is frustrated and feels restless and agitated. Ziggy is consumed by the fact that she is out of ideas. One of Ziggy’s best friends’, Moya is concerned that Ziggy barely chats with them anymore and goes over to see her. Moya suggests that they all take a breather and go off to a quiet place with nature and fresh air. Ziggy is reluctant, and Moya gets their other friends involved, and everyone is excited, so Ziggy could not ruin the vibe and goes along with the idea. They decided to leave work far behind and head off to the mountains for four days, after packing enough food and warm clothes.

Ziggy and her friends found it so revitalising to be in nature. She was so grateful for the time she was spending with them. They laughed and sang songs, cooked food and took long walks. Early one morning while preparing breakfast for her friends, Ziggy had the most amazing idea for her character. She could see it playing out brilliantly! Feeling supercharged, she quickly makes a note on her phone and continues with breakfast with a big smile on her face. She did not tell anyone yet as she first wanted to let it settle in her mind.

How to incubate your ideas

Incubating ideas is a process of developing and refining an idea over time through careful consideration, reflection, and exploration. Here are some steps you can take to incubate your ideas:

Write down your idea: Start by writing down your idea in a notebook or document. Include as many details as possible, such as what inspired the idea, what problem it solves, and what its potential applications could be.
Reflect on your idea: Take some time to reflect on your idea and consider how it fits into the broader context of your goals and interests. Consider why the idea matters to you and what impact it could have.
Research and explore: Do some research to learn more about your idea and the problem it addresses. Explore different perspectives and approaches, and consider how your idea could be improved or refined based on what you learn.
Refine your idea: Use what you've learned from your research to refine your idea. Consider how it could be modified to better address the problem it solves, or how it could be applied in different contexts.
Test and experiment: Test your idea by sharing it with others and getting feedback. Experiment with different variations or applications, and see how your idea evolves over time.
Iterate and refine: Use the feedback you receive and what you learn from testing and experimenting to iterate and refine your idea. Continue to explore different perspectives and approaches, and be open to making changes as needed.

Remember that incubating ideas is a process that takes time and effort. By reflecting, researching, refining, testing, and iterating, you can develop and refine your ideas over time, turning them into something truly impactful and innovative.