Forced Fun
At Permanent Equity, we used to have a goofy program called “Forced Fun.” It was my idea: people could apply for a budget to host a monthly team-building activity. It flopped. And I kind of knew it would, because forced fun always flops – even if you try to avoid that fate by calling forced fun “Forced Fun.”
But then a small group slacked me the other day saying they’d like to resurrect “Forced Fun” by hosting a Mizzou homecoming parade-watch with coffee and pastries for Permanent Equity families. “We’re back!” I thought. Though a better name for what they were suggesting might be “Opportunistic Organic Fun” – which is the kind of fun that actually has a shot.
One of my favorite things is when an idea I had – and that didn’t take – shows up later, in a new shape or form, with someone else pushing it, and works. Whether that’s because it has a better name, or a better champion, is benefiting from better timing, or got leveled up, seeing something click – even if it’s not yours anymore – is rewarding. It means there was always a “there” there. Maybe not enough at first, but enough for someone to see the potential and keep iterating. This is why it’s important to get ideas out into the world even when they’re “not your best.”
Because a challenge with ideas is that even good ones can arrive at the wrong time or in the wrong context. It might also be the case that you’re the wrong person to have it or push it at that time or in that place. But if it sticks to someone somewhere, germinates, and later wins on the merits, that’s progress.
The world doesn’t need more geniuses or demagogues. It needs more people tossing out ideas and being open to letting others pick up and out what’s useful. Because eventually there will be a “there” there that’s rewarding and then some.
– Tim
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