Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Since human life began, there has been an enormous process of evolution and development.  This can be seen in the various historical periods such as the Stone Age, the Middle Ages, Iron Age and more recently, the Industrial Revolution and Machine Age.  In every one of these eras, man has used innovative ideas to create change in order to cater to his rising needs. 

Necessity is truly the mother of invention.  As each scenario and problem arose, man has had to be creative in his efforts to solve them.  It's been a constant process of discovery that has led to the world we have today.  While we may sometimes regret the increased pace that we now live, there is no denying the comparative ease with which we can do things and how much more we can accomplish in our lifetimes. 

Of course, this process continues today at a faster pace than ever.  Computer technology has enabled us to program, process and analyse data like never before.  The development of the internet was perhaps an inevitable consequence of our need to shrink distances and increase global connectivity.  In every step of our human evolution we have overcome the obstacles in front of us and continued in our path of discovery and growth.

Challenges are put before us so that we may accept them and adapt, learn, grow and become stronger as a result.  Where there is a will to do something, there is always a way.  Each of us has challenges in our daily lives, whether they are on a career or personal level.  Whatever they relate to, they are a way forward and overcoming them gives us the opportunity to reach our goals and eventually our dreams.

In life, if your problem is large enough to create a constant pain, inconvenience, or trouble you will find a way to solve it.  If not, it will eventually reach a point where you can no longer endure the consequences.  Many of the world's greatest inventions have been born directly from such circumstances.  Man has constantly moulded himself in accordance to his needs and will continue to do so.  As each particular need arose, new thoughts, concepts and potential solutions were developed to overcome them. 

There is a rumour that, back in 1899, the US Commissioner of Patents Charles H. Duell stated that "everything that could be invented, had been invented" and recommended that the Patent Office be closed.  In reality, his supposed comment has been proved to be an urban myth and hindsight has shown the idiocy of such a statement.  Inventions, both significant and otherwise, will continue to be made every day as man strives to overcome his problems and make life generally easier for himself.    

Invention is not confined to bringing a new product or type of service to the world.  Invention can be as simple as tailoring something to make it work specifically for you.  A good example would be a fitness program that is designed in accordance with your age, current physical condition, time available and overall motivation.  The most important thing is that your personal input meets the criteria for getting the job done successfully.

The dream of many people is to become wealthy simply because it can facilitate making so many other dreams a reality.   To achieve genuine wealth you need to go beyond what most people are doing each week.  Working an average number of hours at an average job will only ever lead to an average lifestyle.  Many are content with this, but if you yearn for a life less ordinary you need to use some creativity and invention.                        

They say the path to true love is never smooth and the same could be said about success in business.  Every opportunity is different and demands knowledge and skills that you've perhaps never used before in life.  Beyond that though, it requires something even more important: resourcefulness.  When you are self-employed there is no supervisor or manager to refer to for answers or advice.  You are it and if you don't know something you have to find out.  Not doing so will stall your progress and eventually lead to business failure.     

But what if you don't know how to solve your problem or even know where to look for answers?  Sometimes the issue is unique to your business or the advice that you've received simply doesn't work.  Necessity is the mother of invention.  It's not a time to despair - it's simply a time to think.   A time to consider the options, break down the problem and use some inventiveness to solve it.  If you think about it for a moment you will realise that if it was so easy everyone would be doing it and the rewards wouldn't be very special.   

In summary, entrepreneurial ventures require a degree of courage, perseverance, resourcefulness and invention.  There are great rewards for those who are prepared to accept and embrace the challenges.  In the most important moments, don't allow what you can't see to sink your boat.  Identify potential problems before they occur but if they do, always remember they can be overcome.  And if your boat is actually under water then don't give up - build another one!    

In the process of planning and inventing solutions, two heads are often better than one.  Instead of letting your dreams fall by the wayside, network with others to find answers, alliances and a sense of camaraderie.  By definition, as an entrepreneur you are a creator of ideas and possibilities.  If you can let these ideas flow and collaborate with others you naturally increase your chance of success.  Poor options can be eliminated while the potential of good ones can be maximised.  The very best ones may even change the world one day.