The Power of Onlyness

In spite of whatever indications suggest that an idea might not work out, you have to be “foolish” enough to make the attempt to make it successful.

By keeping the focus on the gift itself, though, you can keep your ideas always at the forefront—even if they don’t fall comfortably into an existing “category,” even if there are many other people doing similar things.

first, by being willing to be foolish; second, by acting without evidence that he would succeed; and third, by enlisting help from some crucial new allies.

“Stop asking yourself what you want, what you desire, what interests you. Ask yourself instead: What has been given to me? Ask: What do I have to give back?”3 Then, act.

First, you stand in that spot in the world that only you stand in, then you meaningfully connect with others so that you (and, more to the point, your ideas) finally have a new pathway in.

You don’t have to be self-consciously “edgy” or stand out; you simply have to be yourself and keep advocating for the ideas that matter, thus creating the value you aim to bring to the world.

Today, networks offer a new way to get things done. Any collection of people can pursue ideas together without organizational authority or hierarchies.* When value creation is institutional and hierarchical, the vast majority of people are treated as cogs, dispensable and replaceable. But when value creation is networked, the distinct ideas, judgme

For your idea to even have a chance, you have to give it room to grow.

You’re standing in a spot in the world that only you stand in, a function of your history and experiences, visions, and hopes. From this spot where only you stand, you offer a distinct point of view, novel insights, and even groundbreaking ideas.