There is a buddhist axiom, 'First Thought, Best Thought' that speaks to the power of spontaneity and intuition.
When presented with conflicting internal (or inter-personal) narratives, I will always default to first thought, best thought thinking.
But default, is not destiny. Sometimes the first thought isn't the best thought.
It may be ill-advised. It may be muddy and unclear. It may confuse tail with dog. Or any number of in-between possibilities.
I thought about this today in talking with a friend, an accomplished artist and author who has sold millions of titles from original work that he has created.
The impetus was a project that looked at the onset like a really good idea...after first thought...second thought...and even third thought.
But upon careful reflection, challenged by a key litmus test question, my friend acknowledged that that one unspoken element had stuck in his craw.
He was apologetic, now finding himself at a cross-roads when heretofore, he had only seen an open road ahead.
I, on the other hand, was non-plussed.
I write a ton, have started a bunch of companies, and launched many projects, big and small, so I know how the creative process goes.
Sometimes these things drop from the heavens, a gift from the gods.
Other times, it's grope, ship the idea, tweak, iterate, finesse, re-think, re-work and then polish.
Still others, it's bury in an unmarked grave.
We can't always know when ideas are good. But unless we are willing to take that first step, we're simply standing still.
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