Understanding the Planets - Part 2

Inventors always seem to think the problem in our industry is the business planet. Envisioning gangs of thugs running around just waiting to jump out and mug the first inventor that happens by - Wild gangs, intent on stealing the inventor’s money, their ideas, and their dreams.

Yet people on the business planet look across the bridge and conger up visions of these creative trolls locked in their basements toiling away on ideas that most people don’t really want or need - A greedy bunch that puts far more value on their invention than the rest of us do, demanding to be treated better than others when they grace the business planet with their presence.

Are either really correct? Maybe in some cases both are correct, but how do we fix this overall mischaracterization people on both planets have of each other?

The key is education, and that’s where the bridge between the planets becomes so important – it represents the ability to educate ourselves.

The bridge is a span between two known worlds. Each planet having its own environment, its own risks, customs, even personality. By educating yourself about what you will find when you arrive, you dramatically increase your chances of fitting in when it comes time to make that trip. That entire process happens on the bridge.

You see, the bridge is constructed of knowledge - built from planks of information dried in the kiln of experience. Google, Books, CD’s, DVD’s… Blogs, Forums, Radio shows, Magazines, even simple Conversations are all planks on the bridge of knowledge.

Some inventors take years to cross the bridge, soaking up the knowledge on every plank. When they arrive at the other planet they are truly prepared and the result is that they are generally successful.  Other inventors want to run across the bridge, they bypass all the really important planks and in record time they have reached the other planet. The result is predictable – they normally fail, walking back angry and dismayed ready to tell all of us about the roaming gangs of thieves, and lack of appreciation and understanding the other planet has for inventors.

The bridge built of education and best traveled slowly and with persistence. It is in fact, an exercise in personal responsibility and the success you have when you reach the other side is directly relevant to the amount of time you took to cross it.

When you do get to the end of the bridge – you may want to take a cab, but I’ll explain that next.