Do Not Covet Your Ideas -- Give Away Everything You Know

This morning, I was working on something that required me to share some of my more private ideas. At first, I had no hesitation. I drafted the document with pleasure, happy to be in a position to help. But right before I hit send on my email, my ego crept in and said, “Wait, are you sure you want to share this information?” And so I hesitated.

I called a friend for advice and got her voicemail. While I waited for her to call me back, I checked one of my favorite websites ever, a Tumblr entitled Colourless Colour NY. Each week, the owner of this incredible piece of art in motion, Gelareh Mizrahi, curates a collection of images related to a specific color or theme. Today’s color play was on the color creme. The first image I saw was the one pictured above, which spoke directly to me without any ambiguity: “Give Away Everything You Know,” it demanded. And just like that, I got my answer. Without another moment of hesitation, I complied by emailing out the document.

There are so many lessons to be learned here. First, if you have a question, ask the universe. The answer will always come to you, sometimes in the most unexpected of places. And second, if you have an idea, share it with the world. Do not hoard it. It doesn’t belong to you anyway. Let it free, let it breathe, let others build upon it and benefit from it. Make room for new ideas. Challenge yourself to seek new knowledge, skills, inspiration and ideas. Because when you give away everything you know, more will come back to you. Consider it idea karma.

Check out Colourless Colour NY. You’ll love it. I promise.