Sunday, August 31, 2014

Accept or Reject: It's Just Information

giving someone an idea is a gift
How do you respond when someone gives you an idea? Do you immediately think of the stress it will cause, the work it will take, what won't get done if they are doing that, the money it will take to do it, the time it will take away from them, on and on and on? Do you then tell the idea-giver why it won’t work or why you can’t take another thing on? Are you an idea-generator and find yourself thinking up and offering ideas to others? How does it make you feel when the idea you’ve given the other person is rejected?  

I don't blame those who reject ideas, as I use to feel the same things when others gave me ideas. But I learned to adapt to the fact that when someone gives me an idea, they are just giving me information that I can choose on my own to take action on or ignore. It’s all up to me; it’s just information.

I also like to take note that someone taking the time to give me an idea is like giving me a gift. When someone gives you a gift, you might immediately think about the fact that you really don't like it. But we've learned to be gracious and say thank you and look like we are thankful. I do my best to do the same thing with ideas; see them as gifts. I’ve learned to remain quiet, listen, and then say “Isn’t that interesting, thanks for the idea.” I often times write down these ideas because I may think differently about them at a later time.


Remember, whether someone gives you an idea or feedback, it’s all just information that you are free to do anything you want with. But thank them for the gift of their time, thoughts and ideas.

No comments:

Post a Comment