Do you have innovation regret?

When we encounter a kindred spirit, someone whose heart resonates with our own, it’s only natural to start missing them in our past.

Cursing the world for not connecting us earlier our journey. As if to shake them by the lapels and scream, dude, where have you been all my life?

A similar feeling happens when we stumble into exciting new idea, one that galvanizes us with newfound enthusiasm and productive energy.

We develop innovation regret, in which we miss the idea in our creative past. Beating ourselves up for not thinking of or taking action upon it sooner.

As if to grab the idea by its haunches and yell, goddamn it, where the hell were you six years ago?

In this situation of innovation regret, our healthiest posture is a combination of kindness, acceptance and gratitude. Instead of beating ourselves up for not taking action on our idea sooner, we give thanks to the muse for delivering such an abundant gift.

Knowing that most people go their whole life without executing a single one of their creative dreams.

And instead of trying to make up for lost time by demanding too much of ourselves now, we ease into this new creative relationship with patience, trusting the tempo of our own timing.

Knowing that who we are right now is precisely the person through which this new idea must grow.

As the song lyric goes, you don’t need the whole world on the first day, joy is but a sin away.

What new idea are you missing in your past?