For those of you who’ve had the privilege (and pain) of giving birth, you know how important it is to have a midwife by your side.
Someone to encourage you, guide you and give you support in reminding you to breathe and push.
In this same way, ideas are birthed – there is much excitement and joy; there is also often pain, frustration, and need of support. Here, my friends, is where we call for the “idea midwife”. Yes, the Idea Midwife would be by your side, guiding you, giving you advice and shining light on matters that need most attention.
The most beautiful and important aspect to this type of aid is that your Idea Midwife can be there for you – but they cannot do it for you.
1. Sometimes we might get so passionate about the idea that we forget to assess it properly. This is where your Idea Midwife might say, lets gain some perspective here.
2. And sometimes we get idea doubt, or can’t push the idea past that line towards the next level and there, the Idea Midwife might say, well what’s the next step?
3. When reading the below quote, I’m sure many of you immediately thought: this sounds just like childbirth! Indeed, the process is full of mess and agony. But here again, the Idea Midwife comes along to guide you. They say, don’t be a martyr in this – I’m here for you and you can do this.
So who makes good Idea Midwives, and who makes bad ones?
Interestingly, bad Idea Midwives could be the very people you may initially be thinking of to appoint with this elite title. But hear me out on my points – they may give you a couple reasons to re-evaluate.
Often, a bad idea could be managers –By nature a manager looks at the cost of failure instead of the value of achievement. This is their job – but it may not be an appropriate perspective for an Idea Midwife.
Equally so, somebody too close to you could be a negative choice. Automatically this person may focus on the impact of the idea – and the risk of the impact. They could say, what is the impact of this idea for me if this doesn’t work?
your best idea midwives ...
Have breadth and depth of knowledge in the field you are working in, and can give sound advice based on reasoned judgment and not just hunches.
They would need to be somebody you trust to be very honest, that isn’t in your immediate living or working space; someone that would freely tell you whether more work or thought is needed, or whether you need to act.
Having an Idea Midwife can transform your idea process.
Yes, it will pose opportunities for you to stretch – you will find yourself in a place where you’ll have to be vulnerable, open to advice and another’s insight on your dream – but this is good. Any opportunity for growth in ones self and perspective, is always good.
And, it also means that you have something priceless: someone to support you when you fall, pass on great knowledge and be a second conscience in hard times.
If you ask me, I think we need more of those kinds of people in today’s world. We need them in the workplace more than ever, in creative spaces, and in our youth.
I want you to ask yourself how much more you could achieve, how many of your dormant ideas could be brought to life and take flight to unbelievable heights, if only you had another standing next to you and blowing a little wind beneath those wings?
One reply on “Where is my need for an ‘idea midwife’?”
This post really highlights the value in relationships and how we can work together to uplift and strengthen each other.
What a great connection between a midwife, and an ‘idea midwife’.
Immediately I am trying to suss out who these people are in my life.