Solve a Problem, Build a Business
I used to love Legos. They were great for a couple reasons:
They trained you to follow directions in order to reach a goal (which was beautifully pictured on the front of the box).
They promoted creativity.
The Block(s) is Hot
When I was about seven years old (or seventeen, but who’s keeping track?) I got a Lego train set for my birthday. I expected to find a simple train inside.
I was wrong. It was a whole railroad system.
My typical routine (you know routines are good from E-Impact 34) for completing a Lego set was to sort and layout the pieces on the floor, setup the directions, and clear adequate space for the build.
Once everything was ready, I would blow through the steps and put the set together as swiftly as possible. In most cases there wasn’t much to play with after that. I have quite the imagination, but at that age it was frequently applied to my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures.
Up until that point, Legos were rather finite. It was about completing the tasks more than creating. It was a “cold” activity.
After completing the train set (which included the tracks and station), I noticed that there were plenty of pieces left. At first, I thought I messed up. It stressed me out.
It took a few minutes for me to calm down. I realized that the extra pieces were for adding to the train tracks and creating a unique path. It was a much different experience than all of the other Lego sets I had ever put together.
This Lego set was “hot”.
It was active, moving, and inspiring.
There was something more to do than just stack blocks. I could be an architect and a builder. It was genius by Lego to give a young person the ability to create. It was also brilliant that they sold accessories.
I told my Mom that I NEEDED additional pieces to build the ultimate train system throughout my room. How could she deny her suddenly creative little boy?
Making the Best of What You Have
One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard is to make the best of what you have. It gives you a better perspective of your lot or your possessions. It makes you appreciate what you have been given and highlights stewardship.
Stewardship might be my favorite word in the English language. Or, at least the concept is of utmost importance. It is defined as:
the conducting, supervising, or managing of something; especially the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care
If you feel the responsibility of stewardship, you tend to make the best of what you have. In a state of struggle you will do whatever it takes to do what is needed.
The Desire of Stewardship
You cannot underestimate the power of desire, which is selfless in the context of stewardship.
What are the things in life that have been entrusted to you?
I cannot answer this question for you. And you may not be able to completely answer it either at the moment. It’s not necessarily any specific thing, material possession, or money. It can take some people years and I would describe it as more of a journey.
Throughout the process of identifying what you have been entrusted with, you develop a desire to take care of those things. It’s a “chicken or the egg” situation.
Do you care about it because you feel called to? Or, has your interest in the concept or thing led you to feel a sense of responsibility? The intent of this writing is not to help you answer these questions. It’s strictly to portray that everyone is a steward of something. We all have the ability and should be taking care. It’s good for the world around us and it’s good for oneself.
My mom has a small garden. It produces herbs that can be used to eat, for fragrances, or for medicinal purposes. Those are great, but there’s also a fulfillment she gets from taking care of it.
Mom is a desiring and grateful steward of her garden. But, it’s not the physical garden that’s essential. It’s the relationship between the caregiver and the subject.
Boring, Not Boring
The great thing about human life is that it’s not designed to be boring. We are creative beings. We have three dimensions. We have The Five (and More) Senses. We can travel easily (not during a pandemic). We can write a blog, we can write a book, podcast, record videos, make phone calls, and text message. And don’t forget good old fashioned in-person conversations (they are not going away).
This variety of ways to communicate keep life interesting. Could you imagine if you could only do one of those things? It’s fascinating how it all works together to create society. It’s certainly NOT boring.
What is boring, though?
This is a personal answer. What’s boring to you, might be extremely stimulating to someone else.
I don’t have a garden; my mother has a green thumb (always wanted to use that phrase).
I don’t play with Legos anymore; my nephew loves them (in fact, I gave hime some old sets, including the train).
I am not here to convince you that everything in your life can be exciting. Actually, I have written before that doing things over and over again (see the November 3, 2020 E-Impact Blog entry) is extremely important. However, I will say that creativity is not always about new ideas. It’s about applying unique thoughts to make something happen.
Being “not boring” takes confidence. You can be a thought leader.
Intellectual Property
You can make intellectual property…
a work or invention that is the result of creativity, such as a manuscript or a design, to which one has rights and for which one may apply for a patent, copyright, trademark, etc.
Admittedly, the above definition is intimidating. “Apply for a patent, copyright, or trademark” seems so technical.
For the purpose of E-Impact, intellectual property isn’t quite that “legal”. It’s simply the great ideas that we all have.
You have intellectually property by sheer concept of thinking. Do not underestimate that.
Not So Great
I mentioned above the greatness of human life. I failed to mention that life is not always great.
We are not perfect. Perfection would be boring. Mistakes, miscommunication, and disagreements are all part of our world.
I believe that intentions are the most damaging effect on our relationships that we experience. It’s not the actual actions.
This may seem counterintuitive to my frequent emploring of you to take action. Listen to Speaking of Impact Episodes 30, 31, and 32. Justin Breen, Brian Bogert, and Gabrielle Bosche will all tell you to “do”. But, behind those actions are intentions.
Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), we cannot avoid all bad intentions. But very fortunately, we can recognize implications and apply our intellectual property for good.
Solving Problems
Have you ever solved a puzzle and felt an incredible sense of relief?
It could a physical puzzle that’s been on the dining room table for weeks or maybe it was a quick brain game that you found on the internet. Either way, you were determined to get it done because somewhere along the line it was no longer enjoyable, but you never lost the desire to finish it.
Here’s Why Your Brain Never Runs Out of Problems to Find. This article has some great examples of how humans want to solve things. It also talks about why we are naturally inclined to compare things. However, what’s most fascinating to me is the title. It’s not “Why Your Brain Never Runs Out of Problems to ‘solve’”. It uses the word “find” because we actually look for problems.
We experience the good and search for the bad. This relationship is beyond the scope of this entry, but a base understanding will clarify the premise of the entire writing.
You looking for trouble?
Looking for trouble usually refers to some sort of nervous behavior. Not here. In E-Impact, it means identifying things that could be better. It’s the advancement of humanity.
Believe that the shortcomings you identify are opportunities for improvement and your identifying of them is your given skill.
You have an amazing ability to identify things to improve that only you have.
Entrepreneurial Creativity Applied
Combine your desire of stewardship (to take care of something), your “not boring” confidence (to communicate something), and your unique ability to find (the problem with something) to form an entrepreneurial creativity that can’t be stopped.
This formula is not something that can be calculated in one sitting. It takes a process (whether formal or not). Your creativity lies here.
You will solve problems. Then…
You will create a business.
Consistently and effectively solving a problem is the formation of a business.
This can, but does not have to, be a for profit business.
Listen to Jon Sahn on Episode 8 of Speaking of Impact. He mentioned “doing well by doing good”. In other words, it’s possible to generate monetary returns while still making a positive impact in the world.
But, your impact “business” may not be publicly traded or have an Employer Identification Number. It might be YOUR business, but not A business.
Regardless of the legal structure, this is the application of your creativity.
A good entrepreneur does the best with what he or she has to make their business work. They have intention to accomplish something.
Being In Business
I never thought of myself as a business person. I always felt I had great ideas (about problems I naturally found), but not special “business” skill. I now realize that knowledge of business terms and systems are an important for any company, but not essential for entrepreneurship. Once again, it’s the intentions that matter most.
I just started a business.
I also never thought of myself as an author. In fact, I hated writing assignments in school.
I now write a blog (for two-thirds of a year at this point). I’m an author.
Let this serve as an official announcement. I am writing a book. More details to come.
Enough “I” statements, but these things are true because I had creativity and natural skills that finally got their application.
What’s your creativity? Tell me your skills. I want to see you apply them for good.
Together, we can build impact “businesses” that solve problems to make the world a better place.
Act creatively.