HAVING THE RIGHT FRAME OF MIND
Anyone can become an inventor regardless of age, experience, educational level, or which country he is from. In the modern world, one just has to look around and see the many technologies, novelties and material products and tools that make our lives comfortable. For example, a simple tool like the paper clip makes our lives easier and comfortable in the office, at school and at home. The stapler is another productivity tool that makes our lives comfortable in the office, at school and at home. The post-it note that was accidentally invented also makes our lives comfortable. So there are millions of inventions, products and tools around us that we can look at and realise how simple these are and these have changed our world and make us more productive and comfortable.
A complex invention on the other hand is made up of hundreds, thousands and even millions of smaller inventions. These smaller inventions were simply put together to make a complex product. For example if you look at the individual components that make up a car and you focus on these individually and maybe even count the number of individual parts, you will realise that each part was invented separately of each other. Then all these parts were brought together to make a car. Therefore a budding and inspiring inventor does not have to think about a complex problem, product, machine or tool. He just needs to think about the simpler components, focus in each and build on these simpler components to make a complex machine, tool or product.
The first step to becoming an inventor is to think simple and look at an individual part or component in isolation from the large machine. For example, instead of looking at an entire car, one can focus on the wheel and ask himself how to improve the wheel design. After a close examination, he might realise that the tire needs improvement, so he comes up with an idea for a broader tire or a tyre with stronger or modified threads, which when produced will improve the performance of the entire car and not just the wheels.
Secondly, the individual must be able to look beyond a problem and see solutions. As explained earlier, the individuals at the workplace or at home who is quick to complain, to find faults, to nag and annoy others with existing real or imagined problems go through their entire lives without offering any kind of solutions to any problem or problems. When an individual shifts his thinking patterns and begins to see solutions, he will be able to offer these solutions to a problem at hand. At this point he can consider himself an inventor.
The best way to offer this solution to an existing problem is to explain it to the supervisor or to the boss at the workplace and make improvements from there. Another way to offer solutions is to write down the steps and draw a diagram to explain the solution and explain the reasons for these solutions. Many experienced inventors approach a problem, a solution or an invention in this way. The steps and explanations offer to a reader, the way that the solutions are presented. These explanations can be simple for a simple invention or technical for a complex engineering solution. Of course detailed sketches and drawings called schematics are used to explain the invention.
Thirdly, the individual must constantly be on the look out for a new idea, a problem at hand that needs a solution or an existing product that can be improved. Improving an existing product or developing a totally new product is called product development. The following are some YouTube videos that you must have a look at now, before you continue reading. These videos will give you many ideas as to how people saw problems as opportunities and came up with solutions and benefited financially from this. Their inventions have improved the lives of people around the world.
There are also related videos that would come up in your search for the above videos. You should look at these videos as well to get a better understanding of inventing to solve problems. You will learn a lot from these other videos. You can keep a notebook and pen close by to make notes.
Napoleon Hill has an audio book on YouTube called ‘Think and Grow Rich”. Although this book was written decades ago it is still relevant in today’s society. You should listen to it each day for a few weeks. It teaches one about success and what traits, attitudes and motivations one must have in order to succeed. It explains that one must be persistent else one will never get what he wants in life and will not achieve what he sets out to achieve. Persistence is the key word, and one must be persistent to get ahead in life. He also taught an important lesson that success is getting what one wants in life without violating the rights of others. This simply means that one can get and achieve whatever he wants in life without cutthroat methods. It is better to network and collaborate with like minded people. One will be able to reach further in life in this way.
Elon Musk had many start ups in the past. He also encountered many struggles and challenges, but he was persistent and never gave up, although his companies SpaceX and Tesla Motors were on the verge of collapse in the later part of 2008. Due to his persistence, today his companies are known globally and he is a billionaire. Sir Richard Branson had similar challenges and struggles with his Virgin Atlantic business in the past, and like Elon Musk he was persistent and never gave up. Today he is also a billionaire.
Joe Vitale and Bob Proctor both came from poverty and a life of constant struggle, yet today they are wealthy men, with many different kinds of businesses. Their incomes come from multiple sources. We must aspire to have more than one income, so if one depletes for whatever reason, there is the other to support us. They were featured on ‘The Secret’ movie and the corresponding book, where they told part of their stories of their past and how they overcame their struggles.
John Paul Jones DeJoria is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist best known as a co-founder of the Paul Mitchell line of hair products and The Patrón Spirits Company. He also struggled in life and faced many difficult circumstances and challenges, but he eventually triumph in the end.
You can use YouTube to learn more about the lives of the individuals mentioned above. There are similar videos of other individuals on YouTube that will inspire you, when you hear about their struggles, trials, challenges, poverty and eventual success. There is a story to be learnt from each of these individual and his struggles. Similarly you can be inspired by the challenges and problems that you face to reach your full potential. So once you develop the right frame of mind for inventing things to solve problems, you will begin the journey to success.