Why should we share our ideas? Today, I shall share about what invigorates me to share my ideas, and what benefits you may seek in the process of sharing yours.

Ideas can exist in many shapes and forms – it could simply be an opinion/perspective that you have about a particular current affair that you have read, or it could be something like your own brainchild/product – a product of your creative effort and imagination.

Without further ado, let’s dive in some of the ways that we benefit from sharing ideas actively!

How We Benefit From Sharing Our Ideas:

Fostering Collaboration and Innovation🤝

By collaborating with like-minded individuals or engaging in constructive discussions, we can refine and expand upon our initial ideas, ultimately pushing the boundaries of innovation. 

By sharing your ideas, you might also develop greater clarity on how to progress as you receive feedback from others. We as individuals can come together with unique perspectives and insights, which can spark creativity in others and broaden the perspectives of the people around us, which can result in more efficient and productive idea generation.

This effect can also be further compounded when you share your ideas with like-minded individuals/people with similar interests. You might build on the ideas of others, or have others build on an idea that you have considered when you were lost in thought in the shower, whatever it is, the collaborative effort from sharing and allowing ideas to intertwine with one another.

However, it is also true that working in a team does not necessarily produce better results – if there is a lack of collaboration, or if there is strife within a team. Sometimes being around too many like-minded individuals can instead cause a negative effect, you might develop a confirmation bias that is reinforced by people around you, which I find important to consider from time to time.

Personal Growth and Self-Reflection🌳

Sharing our ideas allows us to engage in self-reflection and introspection. As we articulate and communicate our thoughts, we gain a deeper understanding of our own beliefs, values, and perspectives. The process of explaining our ideas to others cultivates a sense of self-awareness and encourages continuous personal growth, identifying areas that need refining or further development.

Here is an article I wrote about the art of introspection:

5 Benefits from being more introspective (& 5 Easy Tips to do so!)

As shared in this article about being more introspective, it takes a concerted effort to embrace the complementary nature of self-improvement through sharing your ideas with others, internalising your own thoughts and feelings (self-awareness) and listening intently and piecing together constructive feedback from others.

Building Confidence and Overcoming Fear🧗🏼

This is something that is probably one of the major hurdles that we may face when it comes to projecting our thoughts and sharing our ideas.

Personally, I grew up with the belief that I was pretty introverted in nature, and while that meant I prided myself in being able to be more comfortable and adept in focusing on my inner thoughts and feelings, I do think that it is a limiting factor that I have to come to terms with – by being too afraid and reluctant on voicing out my opinions, it will have a detrimental effect on my performance when it comes time to present ideas. 

Stepping out of our comfort zones

Therefore, I believe that as we share our ideas, we build confidence and overcome the fear of judgement. The more we express our thoughts and receive feedback, the more resilient we become to criticism. It is humbling to see how little we may know, and even more rewarding to see how much we may potentially gain from sharing our ideas. Just like how there is muscle memory for honing your craft, picking up and mastering new skills and techniques, having the courage to share your ideas is also something that takes time and patience to develop.

Each time we share an idea, we challenge ourselves to step outside our comfort zones, gradually building confidence in our abilities. Over time, this confidence permeates other aspects of our lives, enabling us to take bolder actions and pursue our passions. 

Inspiring and Empowering Others🌅

Our ideas have the power to inspire and empower others. By sharing our experiences, knowledge, and innovative concepts, we can motivate individuals to explore new paths, challenge existing norms, and pursue their own ideas. Through our shared ideas, we contribute to a collective pool of inspiration, fostering a culture of growth and positive change. By delving into novel ways I have experimented with when studying and learning, I share in hopes to inspire others who might be stuck in a predicament, or people who might gain insight from my experience.

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Creating Meaningful Connections🫂

I would like to think that whatever we are doing, we are all learning from one another. As I started to write down my thoughts more and through sharing some ideas I have (which all started from drafts and just rough outlines of what I was thinking at the current moment), I actually found myself listening more and wanting to cover up gaps in knowledge.

For example, since I started to pen down my ideas in a blog post, I was able to actively encourage myself to consider things from multiple perspectives better – how my opinions might differ from others, how my “advice” might not apply to everyone, how we can more objectively assess the different issues at hand.  Furthermore, when we start sharing ideas, we start to consume more information and improve gradually, learning to share our ideas in a more refined manner. 

I think that more often than not, there is always some level of impermanence to the truths that we hold dear to our hearts – what might be true now might not be true a few decades down the road. What we chose to believe in the past might not be what we choose to believe in the present and future. Even with scientifically proven ideas – there is a possibility of it being debunked, or refuted with more prominent and well-researched ideas of a new era. However, as mankind improves with the amalgamation of ideas and concepts, we can all learn from sharing ideas with one another, and collectively improve.

Self Improvement

For me, what propelled me to start this blog was a desire to improve the way I process information and learn – recalling some of the methods I have used in the past, rediscovering new methods shared by others, and finding what could potentially have greater efficacy in the long run.

More importantly, by sharing what we know (albeit with humility and careful consideration), we also stand the risk of being proven wrong, which in itself is the beauty of being courageous enough to share your opinions on something you have looked into. 

“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”

Maya Angelou

Concluding Remarks:

When writing the draft for this blog, I reflected on how we sometimes cage ourselves with our self-imposed beliefs. Especially in the digital age nowadays where information proliferates at an alarming rate – we are often bombarded by ideas and information from multiple sources, and it can be intimidating to even put your foot out to voice out your opinion.

With the immense volume of information available at our fingertips, we may come to terms with the fact that there is very little original content that is posted nowadays, because the things we share might have influences from different forms of media that we have previously consumed.

Yet, even if the realisation that what I am writing might have been thought of by countless others before me, and many more after me, I think we can always find solace in the fact that we are all learning from one another, growing together, sharing different perspectives and influences – to pave the way of our own unique life journeys.

So, what new ideas do you wish to share with others today?