Creating Something Out of Nothing

Every one of us has a creative impulse that should not be ignored. It is important to tap into it throughout our lives to create something out of nothing. What better gift to share with the world than something that comes from within us alone and can bring something of utility to another person. I personally find that being able to create something that you made or built or established from your own hard work is the most fulfilling thing that one can do in life. It is beyond rewarding to see something that started from just an idea alone come to fruition through your own efforts.

While it can be exciting or interesting to help someone else build their dream into reality or help be part of that team that executes another person’s idea or vision, it simply does not compare to making your own idea into reality and having others work on that idea to help you develop it into something real. Fulfillment can come in many forms, but I find that making something of your own and having it go out in the world to be a successful product, service, or thing that will be used for months, years, or generations is one of the greatest joys that one can experience in one’s life.

The greater the ownership over an idea, a product, a thing, or a concept that you create, the more investment you’re likely to have over it. When you are the owner or the founder rather than an employee or a team member, the feeling of accomplishment that you have when it happens or becomes something that is fully realized, it is hard to go back to being in that complementary role going forward.

It is good to start small when you are creating something, and to set your expectations within reason. You don’t have to start building a massive business or a large product to feel its joyful effects. It’s best to start with a small project like an eBook, a small product you designed or built, or some kind of freelance service that you alone provide. Once you start to advertise, market, or sell that small product or service you built, it will give you that needed boost of confidence that can propel you forward with other ideas to implement.

When it comes to the act of creation, you must stick with it for a while whether it is an invention, a business, or a service because it will need some tweaking, refinement, or even a rebuild especially if people aren’t buying what you are selling. Sometimes, you’ll need to start over again with a different idea and other times, you’ll need to do a lot of revisions or tweaks to make it more palatable to your audience. Any creation has a strong possibility of failure but even if it does fail, you should rest easy knowing that the act of creating anything is something that not many people can do or even try it at all.

If you can create anything at all, that’s taking a step that most people are not comfortable with doing themselves. You may think that if you create or build something that isn’t successful that you failed entirely but that is not the case at all. If you take that pivotal step in creating something out of nothing, you went further than most people are willing to go. You should keep your spirits up by knowing that just because what you built, made, or created wasn’t exactly financially profitable or sold a lot of units, it does not mean your efforts were wasted.

When you build something from scratch, you gain valuable skills in that process that you would not get otherwise as an employee or team member. Creating something takes innovation, critical thinking, subject matter knowledge, and knowledge of the components of that product or service. Additionally, any kind of creation often involves website development, shipping / delivery, sales, marketing, advertisement, content creation, and networking with other people in that area of expertise. If what you first created did not reach your own goals or hopes, don’t stop creating.

Be bold enough to create something else and to keep trying new inventions, new products, or new services. I am a believer in a creator’s ability to keep tinkering with new ideas, trying out different ideas, and being able to revise their ideas to build something even better. Many inventors including Thomas Edison, one of the greatest creators in history, had to submit hundreds of inventions and establish hundreds of patented creations, before he was able to establish and market the early version of the incandescent light bulb, the phonograph, and the motion picture camera.

Any great creator from Thomas Edison to Steve Jobs to Elon Musk did not just stop with their one creation or one product or one invention, they used their talents and their ideas to propel themselves forward into different creative areas. You should build on a small success and use that fuel to try out other ideas in your area of expertise. If you can create something that generates a little bit of success, that motivation will carry you forward in being able to develop other ideas that may be even more successful.

Do not be afraid to fail either. If you can be one of those people who can create, can invent, or can build something from nothing, you should know that you are a unique individual who is changing the world in a small yet measurable way. Even if you are not the next Thomas Edison, you are a creator in the world and that is quite the personal achievement.