In my 20’s, when I had a lot of ideas. Some of them were wacky, some weren’t. Occasionally they were some kind of invention or perhaps some way to make money. Sometimes they were just something funny I thought would be unique.
I tried about 10% of them.
I was told, on a fairly consistent basis, that if the idea was a good one then someone had already done it. Someone smarter than me. Someone better than me.
It was better not to try. Also, get those ideas out of your head. Get your head out of the clouds and settle for an average existence. You will never do anything original. Take what you got and keep your head down.
That sank in quite a bit. It’s difficult to shake that level of programming. It stuck for quite a while. Why even bother?
And you know, most of those ideas probably weren’t original. Some just plain wouldn’t work now that I think about them.
In my thirties, the ideas started making their way through the barrier of doubt. My situation was different and no one was saying those things to me any more. I started trying things again.
I’m not a superstar artist or inventor. I try things. A lot of the things I try are not very good at first. I learn, grow, iterate. Some of my ideas entertain people. My failures make for funny stories. My successes are pretty decent.
What I am trying to say is do not let anyone take away your willingness to try. Don’t let someone make you feel you aren’t good enough to even attempt something new. If someone already did it before you then SO WHAT? It doesn’t diminish you or them to try it on your own.
Own your aspirations. Overcome the naysayers with your audacity. You hurt yourself by not trying and the world is poorer for your lack of participation.