International Ideas Month

Some of the biggest, most impressive things in our modern world — be that huge, lumbering buildings or complex, shiny smartphones — started as an idea. Without ideas, we wouldn’t have any of the cool stuff we have in the world today.

International ideas month is all about realizing the value of an idea, no matter how silly it might seem at first. If there’s something you have been mulling over for a while, an idea you’ve had but not really thought of making it a reality, then this month is the time to get your great idea rolling!

How to Celebrate International Ideas Month

Keep Track of Ideas

Because ideas aren’t that easy to come by but very easy to forget, this month make sure you don’t let any slip away. Put a notepad next to your bed so that when you wake up in the middle of the night or morning with a fantastic idea, scribble it down so you don’t forget.

If you tend to get some of your best ideas while you’re doing something like having a shower or you’re on the morning commute, make a pact with yourself to get that idea down as soon as possible, in your phone or on a notepad. Maybe when you come back to it later, you’ll have even more ideas on how to make it brilliant!

Learn About Other New Ideas

Watch a TED talk, listen to public radio, read some inventor magazines or find other ways to get inspired toward problem-solving and getting creative with ideas.

Create a Think Tank

Many people feel like they brainstorm better with others. This way, they can bounce ideas off of each other and the synergy in the room helps create more ideas. International Ideas Month would be a great time to gather some friends, colleagues or business partners together and brainstorm about a topic that needs new ideas!

History of International Ideas Month

When’s the last time you had a great idea? Was it in the shower? Did you think of it when your first woke up, then forgot what it was? Did you put all the wheels in motion in your head to get a great idea rolling, but abandoned it because you thought it just wouldn’t work?

We all have little brainwaves now and again, and sadly many of us let them be just that — brainwaves, and nothing more. Imagine all the ideas which could have really improved our lives, they the creator just never got round to realizing? This month, don’t let your ideas slip away — get them down on paper, get talking to your friends about them. Make some real waves.

Things that improve our health, things that keep us entertained when we are bored, things that keep us connected, things that make the morning commute a little less soul-destroying; all things which started out as a little spark in some woman or man’s mind, and brought to life for us to use today.

The story behind International Ideas Month is that it was proposed by a group of college students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with the purpose of encouraging creative thinking. It can trace its history back to the year 2000 but, of course, people have been having good ideas for thousands of years before that!