
During this post-honeymoon your daily focus may be the tangible, granular tasks it takes to keep things going. And the larger-than-life thoughts are relegated to the backburner.
A Need to Think Big, and Bigger
I recently experienced this with Innov8Social. The site has been seeing some great traction and engagement and I have noticed my focus shift from imagining what it can become to thinking about day-to-day tasks of creating content, publishing, and expanding its reach.
And then it occurred to me. There are already millions of blogs floating around in cyberspace. It was always my hope to create something that connects social innovation content and community in innovative ways, rather than simply producing content that is already available. So I decided to make this past week my ‘think big’ week. I attended lectures and mixers, and met with social innovators and big-thinkers to learn about what they are up to.
When You Can’t Think Bigger, Ask a Friend
Connecting with others helped me brainstorm, to identify pain points in the industry, and to hear from others what resource/space/value Innov8Social could add to expanding and connecting the social innovation community.
It was tough at times, and exhilarating at others. Innovation–thinking of things in new & different ways–still remains one of my biggest thrills.
What Next
There are a few great ideas I am thinking about. They will require some tech assistance beyond my scope and training, a designer’s finesse, and some planning and integration. But now there is a path, and the encouragement of ideas has been a source of inspiration as I touch base with friends and colleagues to see if they are interested in joining on an Innov8Social adventure.
Your Turn
I used a themed week to remind myself to think beyond my day-to-day tasks and to actively seek (and be open to) meeting unique leaders, thinkers, and social innovators with different perspectives and unique insights. So, now I pass the baton to you…how will you work to think beyond the daily grind of your social innovation—and continue to imagine a world with limitless social innovation possibilities.
This piece resonated with me. I have been working on a social innovation film project, http://www.livingonOneDollar.com, and have recently gotten past my honeymoon phase. It is a constant struggle to keep your ideas big while remembering to focus on the tedious day to day work.
Chris
Chris—thanks for your comment. Checked out your site, a very interesting concept. Would love to hear more about your experience in developing, etc. Good luck!