John Lennon was probably one of the greatest pop song writers of all time and the song All You Need is Love was the hippy anthem of the nascent 60’s green, sharing and caring culture.
A time of embracing personal freedom, creativity and sharing everything from ideas and beliefs to material possessions. Among this emerging community sole ownership or possession of anything was deemed an outdated and meaningless concept.
Even our ideas of owning a permanent self or soul was challenged by the introduction of Eastern religions and philosophies like Buddhism, Daoism and Zen.
Lennon’s lyrics offered the suggestion that we let go of striving to do something and just play the game of Love. It’s easy!
Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love.
There's nothing you can do that can't be done.
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung.
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game It's easy.
There's nothing you can make that can't be made.
No one you can save that can't be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time - It's easy
The message is that if you’ve had a thought or idea, someone else somewhere else has had or will have a similar or the same idea. So why bother?
But what does this mean for innovation and evolution?
Those ‘Boomers’ that remember the case of the sixties girl band The Chiffons vs George Harrison of the Beatles will recall how similar Harrison’s Hymn to Hare Krishna ‘My Sweet Lord’ was to the Chiffons celebration of their man in the song ‘He’s So Fine.’ In fact the melodies are identical and ultimately cost Harrison his reputation as an innovator and a small fortune in a well publicised court case.
There has been a recent trend online for open sourcing, sharing and giving away ideas. But this is on the wane after most people were finding little benefit in the practice other than seeing others exploit their ideas for individual gain. Also as the concept of IP gains traction in an economy where quantity and price compete, new ideas are the new currency.
It's becoming more and more the case that the only sure way to differentiate yourself in a crowded market is to be totally original and find a niche.
So does this mean keeping your ideas to yourself and getting to the marketplace first?
If John Lennon is right there probably is someone, somewhere who has already thought of your idea. So what to do when you find out that your unique, game changing idea for a product, service, novel or film script has already been thought of?
Do you give up and resign yourself to witnessing someone else enjoying the fruits of their success with your idea?
Or do you:
Carry on regardless?
Make yours better, bigger, cheaper or more exclusive?
Steal their best bits and add it to yours?
Collaborate with the competition?
Go and work for the competition?
Buy the competition?
Go head to head with the competition in a very public way?
Do the exact opposite to your original idea?
Sabotage the competition?
Claim they ripped you off and sue them?
Celebrate their success and use it to promote your idea?
Find out how they got to market faster than you and adopt their process for your next idea?
Carry on producing your idea and give it away for free?
Or do you let it go and keep sharing in the knowledge that you have an infinite capacity to generate creative ideas.
All you need is…..belief!
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