by Michael Kryton

Created on: April 24, 2008

Anyone reading this is capable of coming up with a brilliant idea every 60 seconds. Do you believe you can do it? It depends on your perception of what a 'brilliant idea' really is. A brilliant idea might be defined as the notion that there is no such thing as a stupid idea.
How many stupid ideas have you had that were acknowledged as 'stupid', as opposed to 'brilliant'.

For over 30 years, I have been 'finding' ideas, rather than 'coming up' with them - and I don't mean that I plagiarize; although there is an organic, cumulative experience that one might compare to a form of natural, creative, shop lifting. It's about searching for 'inherent values' within something. I will provide some examples of inherent values and how they are at the heart of inspiration; but, rest assured, from this pool of inherent values comes the creative grist that leads to fresh, bold, and inspired thoughts and ideas.

The "big idea" is the property of Brahma, Allah, God, or, for you quasi-existentialists, the entity or force that compels the electron to keep spinning in the vacuum of the atom it is bonded to.

We can agree, I would think, that if anything unites us all, even as we debate the differences of our diverse faiths or beliefs, it is that 'creativity' is at the heart of our existence. Presumably, we were created in the image of the Great Creator, whichever brand you subscribe to. "And then there was light ..." And then came light switches. And so on.

We are not Gods. We can't invoke a universal reality with a time-space continuum, which keeps everything in chaotic sync. Nor can we burn like bushes, reincarnate ourselves, or work mysterious miracles. We walk on solid surfaces, not on water. If we could, it would take the fun out of the vulnerable humanity embraced by the statement, 'sink or swim'.

The "big bang" is a triumphant, God-like exercise of ideas. Whereas, our own efforts to swim to the distant shore and reach it (against the odds) is a triumphant exercise inspired by human desperation. In fact, that's how many of us feel when we are given the task of coming up with creative ideas - especially in the workplace. However, it doesn't have to be that way.

What we can do is think and, as we do, connect dots planted within our thoughts and feelings, stimulated by our spiritual, intellectual and emotional experiences. These dots connect us to 'inherent values'. So, what is an 'inherent value'?

Some examples:

1. It could be something superficial and visible on the surface. For example,

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