Ideas are cheap but they heavily determine the outcome also.<p>#1. Ideas are seeds. They grow into the trees that then give us fruit, and it takes work to get to the fruit that is so valuable. Yet, without the seeds we would have nothing. So if you&#x27;re into trees and want fruit, you still cannot avoid the idea problem. And you cannot avoid the fact that the value of your fruit will be proportional to the value of the original idea. So if you&#x27;re about to put a day, a week, or a year into an idea, it better be a damn good idea.<p>#2. Ideas require more ideas. People seek that one amazing idea and think they&#x27;re done. Hell no. We may start with one idea, but day after day new challenges will arise as we work on that idea. And the only way to solve those challenges is with great ideas. We can look at an iPhone and say, &quot;touch, ya of course&quot;, but the designers and engineers know that there were countless ideas that made the original concept work. If something about an idea is not working, chances are another idea can fix it.<p>#3. Ideas only come from the mind. So in the end, the fruit that lends itself to the idea lends itself to the person or persons that came up with them -- the source of instructions for all the right work. This makes the constant thinker an invaluable part of the entire process. And thank goodness there is that constant thinker in all of us, as well as that constant worker that gets those instructions done.<p>“We shouldn&#x27;t be looking for heroes, we should be looking for good ideas.”<p>― Noam Chomsky<p>IMHO those with the greatest ideas have already proven to be our heros. Everyone works, ideas are what generate work, and working on ideas is work also. There is no choice between the seed (ideas), the nurturing (execution), and the soil (environment). They are all mission critical, and depend on one another. And there really is no swapping of seeds, no rewinding the clock, and no replacing the soil. Granted we ever get that far, if the product or service does suck, the company must rot. We are free to thank the people, the opportunity, the journey, and all we learnt from it, but in the end the ideas are only there to be damned. Ideas: Cheap but crucial. Always bring as many as you can.