We’ve all seen those
chain letters, the ones where you put your name at the bottom of a list of 10
people and send a dollar to the guy at the top, and in three weeks you have
$100,000. I’ve never tried one of these things before, so I can’t say if
they work or not. I can say that if everyone I’d send the letter to
would be half as skeptical as I am, I’d never see a dime.
There’s a similar
concept, though, that I can guarantee results from. It doesn’t have a snazzy
name just yet, so for now we’ll call it the Idea Pyramid. Here’s how it
works: gather your one or two absolute best ideas, the things you think are
particularly true or unique or clever or funny. Then share them with the people
closest to you. Take pains to make them understand your ideas completely, to see
all the cool twists and turns of your self reflected in them.
Now, here’s the hard part. Don’t ask what they think of your ideas. You’re not looking for affirmation here, but rather for a return on your investment. That return will come in the form of your friend sharing her ideas with you. It may not happen right away, and with some people it might not happen at all. But here’s the great thing: if you get any return at all, you’ve gained something wonderful without spending a thing. The idea you shared? You haven’t lost it—in fact, it’s probably become clearer even to yourself by the telling. And that gift from your friend is something you might never have gotten otherwise.
1 July 2001