Fading

When we put off great ideas for long enough, they begin to fade. But for how long? Will they be permanently forgotten?

Ideas have a way of floating back to our mind–of reminding us of something that we are seeking. It’s as if they’re giving us a second chance–shouting at us to look in their direction. The wisest thing we can do is to accept the calling and see where it takes us.

But when we’re in the throes of life, ideas get set aside so that we can focus on our priorities. As a consequence, those ideas fade more and more until they become forgotten.

Weeks or months go by, and they might resurface. Or they might sneak their way into another project–pretending that they belong there. Sometimes the ideas are just too good to let go of and leave behind. But sometimes they are so fragile that they can be lost forever.

One thing I do is that I write my ideas down the moment I become aware of them. Even if I write a sentence or a bullet point on a post-it note, that can make all the difference. When I come back to them later (which can be weeks or months), I find that I can either use the ideas or repurpose them for something else.

It’s kind of like an old short story or novel that never saw the light of day. Years later, they could speak to us in a different light–resonant with us now. We just didn’t know it then, but they needed time to grow.