The silliest ideas ever! That leaves you exclaiming GOSH!

 I remembered when my husband and I visited a good friend of ours during the past Christmas and he was in a manly way lamenting how all the kids wanted some rubber band as a present and if you make a mistake of not getting it for them, that is the beginning of a very high pitched cry; he then went on to mention that he wonders who created this rubber band, because the person is definitely making millions right now!

Weeks after, a little girl came up to me at church and asked me for 10 cents, I looked down at her and she was giggling away with her friends. I search into my purse and say I am not sure if I have 10 cents as I bring out 25 cents and she says that will be fine and she hands me a rubber looking bracelet; as I say that’s a first! She is definitely revolutionizing sales; money first and then product later.

I took the cute rubber band and was staring at its multicolored twinning, it is something I would give my very young niece to wear but I saw myself adorning it and the best thing ever was as a reason of its many colors’, it blended well with my dress.

HA! Then it hit me! This is the RUBBER BAND our family friend was talking about.

Curiosity got the better of me, hence this article. Think about it? A multi colored rubber band that has all the kids going wild! They are sharing, selling and definitely wearing! Do you know how many kids are in the United States? Think about this now, if you had the idea of creating some ‘rubber-bandy’ looking bangle for children/teens would you even think twice about it?

Like small rubber bands, the ones years ago we used to tie our hair with when we wear in nursery/early primary? The ones that we couldn’t wait to detangle ourselves from? Would you not question why exactly you think children and early teens would want to wear rubber band on their wrist (like really as a fancy accessory? Rubber bands?)? Even the reputation behind the rubber band (to tie money by those in the market/by bankers/, used to play catapult (the game we played with no care in the world), etc) is not that appealing?  All these thoughts and what we believe to be the norm would make you doubt your creativity first before you doubt yourself.

Sincerely, if this idea was courageous enough to land in my mind, I would have dismissed it; and I ask myself why? Somto why? And the first answer that comes to mind is, ‘I would have asked myself what world problem this is solving?’ followed by ‘everyone is moving beyond rubber bands, kids are now into IPads, Phones, and are way trendier’ to ‘rubber band is not my specialty, how do I start?’ to ‘this sounds like a too simple idea, it is not complicated enough! And in the multitude of my thoughts, my eyes lay on something else that catches my fleeting attention and then the ‘flimsy’ idea disappears’.

Sometimes trend deceives the best of us. We over think an idea that the gap the idea was initially created for becomes the gap that swallows it up. We have over complicated life that if the idea is not to create a unique brand of rocket launcher, it is not worthy of our thought-cells. I take the pleasure of laughing at myself when I read publications on inventors with ideas that literally make me shake my head! I am like wow! Just a simple solution/product, how did we all miss this one?

Down memory lane, years back, I had this idea of creating a bra that would just stick to the bosom because I was thinking to myself that how would I be properly dressed, if I decide to wear a backless gown? A strapless bra would not work with a backless dress? Now ask me what happened to this idea? After reading on patents laws and speaking to some lawyers on cost etc, my studies at that moment got the best of me as I asked myself ‘how would you be able to pay these people?’ Fast forward years later and guess what is in every lingerie store, even Walmart has it! Click HERE

Yep, you do not want to know my heart expression when I saw the product.

Now moving on, I would like us to take a walk through some (just few) SILLY IDEAS created by some individuals who decided to not lose the CHILD in them irrespective of how fast the world wants everyone to mature by choking us with speed instead of life.

       1) Rainbow Loom:  This is an invention of Cheong Choon Ng. He came up with this idea in 2010 and started selling the kit while he was still employed as a crash-test engineer for Nissan. (Having a job should not be your excuse!) This product began because Mr Ng was trying to impress his two daughters of age 15 and 12 respectively. His daughters were making bracelets out of rubber bands and he wanted to join them but his fingers were too big. He went and created a wooden board with push pins, crisscrossing the rubber bands and making big bracelets. His daughters got hooked and one of them suggested that he manufacture it. Their sales were not great at first but how they turned these bangles into having about 600 retailers and more than a million rubber bands being sold for a retail price of $15-$17 each (do the maths!) to having a mother say that her son has put down his video game to start making bangles….READ MORE HERE

     2) Doggles: Oh my! When I read about this product I almost passed out!  Now someone in his wisdom decided to create google-style sunglasses for pets! They are to protect the pet from sun shine, keep dust, wind, debris away from their eyes and can even assist in some medical condition that causes dogs’ eyes to tear up. Did you know that millions of pairs have been sold at about $19.90/pair and this product shielded U.S. dogs in Uniform from windblown sand in Iraq!! WOW! Read more HERE  Just an afterthought, someone else created a perfume for dogs! Yes! It is called Petite Armand Dog perfume and the cost is ($78.60) for a 50ml bottle of Petite Armand.

    3)  Snuggie: Now onto humans, this product is as simple as you wearing your bathrobe backwards and because the idea is so silly, it is not patentable yet it sold 20 million items in its first year!! It is written that humor is the selling strategy behind this product and the marketing behind it has made the world fall in love with wanting to have a pair of snuggie! Read more HERE

     4) Wacky Wall Walker:  Now this is one is a bit different. Apparently a mum bought her son, Ken Hakuta, the nation’s first known Wacky Wall Walker as a gift from China, and he became fascinated by it and its gewy attributes. His next actions include him buying the rights for $100,000 and to start marketing it in D.C. Sales crawled along until a reporter for The Washington Post stumbled upon his product and wrote about it.  The buzz from the article began one of the greatest marketing fads of all time.  Within just a few months, more than 240 million were sold, netting Ken about $80 million (Yes you read right!).

My Points exactly?

- Be a child again.

- Solutions should not always be complicated.

- No idea is silly; in fact the sillier it is, the more you are onto something.

- You do not have to be a specialist in publishing before you feel you are worthy to have your own magazine. You can ask Munaluchi Bridal Magazine

- Feel free to dream and be allergic to overly-matured people (you get my drift).

- You do not have to know the end now, just keep moving a step at a time, even if it takes you backwards, just keep moving.

- Write your idea down and then start running with it! No time is perfect at all! You can ask me, someone has solved a ‘world solution’ by creating backless and strapless bras!

- Do not grow up too fast, you might miss the essence of maturity.

- In conclusion, in life there is no vacuum. That idea you have on hold, is being activated in another person’s mind!

 Happy living!

x

Just Do It.

I remember when I used to fill all the forms by employers and the part that asks the question’ what is your hobby?’ and I see my hands writing ‘Thinking’. It sounded so smart back then and in fact it is really something that I do. #don’t blame the first child of five, it comes natural to me#.

As I have managed to grow one white hair, I realise that thinking might seem smart but doing is way smarter. I had and still have so many great thinkers as friends and with my white hair, I am beginning to see the difference between those who have so many papers with ideas (just as myself) and those working through those papers (fingers crossed).

In the Beginning, God said, it is not good for man to be alone; we need to create him a help mate. He spoke it loud, and did not wait for the board of directors to sit on it, or His friend(s) to approve, He did not wait unending for the perfect timing neither did He go around thinking up one million and one ideas. He said it, had the creative plan in His mind, waited for the opportunity and executed. It was so perfect that even Man himself acknowledged that this beautiful creature called Woman was taken from his ribs! (Gen 2 vs. 18- 24).

They say it takes about 20 seconds to remember something and therefore it is very important to document them. So much emphasis is on writing the vision down but what about making it plain? Making it plain means doing your research, going to the drawing board, breaking it down and meditating on it. What about let him that run that readeth it? People running with it means you have gone beyond that paper and are now executing it in motion. (Habakkuk 2 vs. 2)

So many ideas are created and buried in a piece of paper. We are making the step of thinking and wanting to make the difference but think about it, the only difference most of us have made is to the paper industry as we buy more to write more. 

What are we afraid of? When was the last time we did something for the first time? Are we afraid of Failure? Are we afraid that our ideas sound ridiculous? Are we afraid that we might not be able to handle all this? Are we afraid of our great our destiny  that we decide to settle for the average one we find ourselves in?

What right do you have to pass through this world just as an ordinary fella? If the ants can go about their business diligently, how about us? Take a look at the sky below, yet you have not heard of stars fighting to protect their space and that is because there is so much space for everyone above, and the reason why there would forever and ever be space up there is because of the fear to climb that ladder and know what above holds in store for us.

Nike slogan says, just Do it.

Just do it, even if you think you would be laughed at. Why? They would soon be laughing with you. Just do it, even if you think there is no provision yet. Why? Because if it is a God given vision, there is a God given provision available. Just do it, even if you are not sure of the results. Why? At least there would be a result and either way it turns out you would be one step wiser.

Let’s do it. Why? We have no right to be ordinary in this world. Look at you, you are definitely not ordinary!

DARE

Roses are red,

Lilies are white,

Violets are blue,

Sun flowers are yellow,

So what is your color?

Pepper is hot,

Honey is sweet,

Water is cool,

Vinegar is bitter,

So what is your flavor?

Voltron, the defender of the universe,

Batman, destroyer of bad men

Mother Theresa, mother of the helpless,

Jesus, the savior of the world,

So what is your mission?

Barren ground becomes fertile with trees,

A baby becomes a man with his work,

A valley becomes a mountain with increase,

Nothing becomes something with an identity.

Black becomes white with a change,

The moth becomes a caterpillar with its growth,

Good becomes bad with evil,

Difference becomes difference with action.

Light becomes darkness with folded hands,

Darkness becomes light with pressure,

Force becomes passion with focus,

Passion becomes powerless with no source,

What is the source of your passion?

A girl becomes a lady with her strength,

Coal becomes diamond with sweat,

Sand becomes footprints with steps,

What is your vision?

Your color exposes you, choose wisely.

Your flavor reveals you, taste nicely.

Your mission describes you, think properly.

Your vision defines you, dream deeply.

Simply dare to be different.