Buried treasure - 01

People are fascinated with buried treasure. It could be a fossil discovery, a treasure map, the Dead Sea scrolls, hidden memoirs of a genius, even pirate’s gold. Anytime a new discovery leaks, it’s a race is to see what treasures are found.

When it comes to buried treasure though, the most valuable buried treasure is ideas we never share.

Graveyards are full of ideas, dreams, goals, aspirations, whispers of thoughts on how to better change the world and the status quo… that were never shared. There are countless stories of brilliant people who left hidden memoirs, locked and sealed, with the ideas they never shared with anyone else.

The reason? They didn’t know how others would respond. They were afraid of sharing more.

It’s hard to share an idea at times. Maybe others smirked, or even laughed off your last idea. Maybe it got shot down logically, or because enough resources weren’t available. So, you bury your next idea, and the next, and the next, until you have a graveyard of ideas, unsure of their potential.

Here’s the truth… some ideas aren’t good ideas. Some ideas need to be wadded up and shot from downtown into the trash can. But, you’d be amazed at how many bad ideas are springboards to good ideas. Don’t be the only judge and jury of your own ideas. The last thought you’d want to hear was about what could have been.

Don’t let your ideas stay with you. Find a way to share what could be, and trust others to help you develop and sift through your buried treasure. Ask yourself these three questions and start digging up your buried treasure.

  • What ideas are you hoarding today? Why?
  • Have you taken an idea, even a decent, but not great idea, and buried it because you’re afraid of someone else’s response?
  • Who can be the sounding board for your latest ideas who’s also capable of honest feedback?