A very inspiring video from IBM celebrating its 100th year in business with 100 IBM innovations made its way across my screen.  I love this stuff (and not just because I’m an IBMer).  It’s remarkable to think about how profound an impact innovation can have on the world.  I often marvel at the very ordinary fact we can fly airplanes and drive cars in addition to the extraordinary innovations that enable us to see pictures from Mars. Here’s the IBM video:

Feel inspired now?

Ready to change the world? 

Are you brave enough to have a go at it? 

I know I do but…. where to start? what to tackle? who to work with?

I believe we need to find ways to transform the triumphs of innovation into stories that inspire and awaken the passionate innovators in all of us. I have a theory that if we can somehow “turn on the lightbulb” of creativity and help people harness their own practical experience, we can uncover even more powerful innovations for our world. I believe that all of us have some innate passion and creativity but most of it remains dormant.

But how can we unlock this dormant value?

Here’s a few thoughts:

• I believe we need more ways to showcase past and present inventions and innovations.
• I’d like to hear personal stories from Innovators about how their “lightbulb” was turned on.
• I’d like to tune into an inspiration channel with user-contributed content filled with videos, books, articles, etc. that are inspirational in both technical and non-technical ways. 
• Showcase how thinking about things just a little differently can lead to new opportunities or improvements.
• Provide platforms that breathe life into ideas whether through tools, collaborators, or something else.

In short, find ways to turn on the lightbulb….. and keep it on!