Evangelising the Message

So, I’ve never really been short of ideas. In the beginning though the ideas would come without the technical ability to realise them. And, as I grew up, I got better technically. The ranges of skills spanned from craft and mechanical through to more technical and software programming. So, I now had two sides of the triangle. The third side has always been elusive to me and probably will remain so for the rest of my life. I seem to lack the charisma required to sell those ideas, to inspire people to join in and add to those ideas.

This isn't to be self-deprecating, or even humble bragging. I look at those with charism and I'm envious of their abilities. But it leads me to the belief that I cannot be great or do great on my own. I require outside help, a team.

Taking a step back, in the beginning my ideas would range from ideas like fabricating a wind surfing sail that I could affix to a skateboard and then wait for a wind storm to come along. I built a petrol powered scooter, I remember making a boat from scrap wood that almost immediately sank. I have made a lot of boats that didn't sink as well, but it most likely required those that did to get to the point of them not sinking.

In the beginning though the ideas would come without the technical ability to realise them.

As I got older and my skills improved I made remote control air planes with more in the way of technical skills. Then on to art where I was starting to showcase some of my technical skills. Needing a real job that paid a wage I migrated into software development and have taught myself to code and now twenty years later I am a software developer whose project ideas have the potential to touch millions of people.

My ideas have increased in scope as well as my skills. Early projects like I mentioned were focused on things I wanted or things that I could at least attempt to make. Once I started building software those ideas gravitated towards projects that would have a real measurable impact on society and the community around me. But to achieve that I have found that the ideas need a certain scope that usually requires more than myself. I need to convince some if not many others to join in and contribute and help direct the idea.

If I was rich I could just employ people and that would be that, but I’m not, so I am required to win people over with charism. I often joke that given a lottery win I would be a force to be reckoned with. And while that my be true ideas wise, I’m going to expect that a certain amount of charism is also required to inspire the people you hire to deliver society changing projects. As an aside, I would suggest that if I ever do happen to win the lottery I would watch this space. I have no need or desire for expensive toys and I am loathed to give money institutional charity with a few exceptions. I deep down want to fix problems.

This has been an ongoing debate with a friend of mine. Once and idea has been conceived is it more important to produce an MVP or is it more important to sell that idea to others? In the beginning I thought that an MVP was needed, perhaps that was my way of having something to demonstrate my idea to someone. I haven’t always had the best track record trying to explain societal shifting ideas to other people and tend to confuse and annoy. Perhaps its my undiagnosed autism rearing its head, but I find myself stuck in positions that are unpopular. I don't believe in veteran charities. I have a very strong belief that if a government sends its citizens to war that they damn well better sort out physical and mental health on their return as well as substantial work to transition ex-soldiers into civilian life. It's logical, but is never a good look around Rememberance Sunday when I'm not wearing a poppy.

However if I was able to sell the idea first and inspire people to help out, not only would the creation of an MVP go quicker (that’s an assumption that hasn’t been tested) but the power of a group can make an infinitely better product than I ever could on my own.

So I keep working to inspire people to my cause. This is usually done when I’m drunk with ideas of grandeur of me leading an army of smart people towards a societal problem that we can solve together. From the outside I'm sure it looks more like a crazy guy in the corner talking to himself. Oh well, I'll just keep trying different forms of expressing my ideas until one of them sticks.