Innovation distinguishes the leader from the followers.

“Try to be innovative & creative; unless you show your creativity, you’ll not shine. You’ll be one among the thousands.” Our teacher said. The festival of Diwali was starting next week & this was his last lecture before Diwali. ‘Happy Diwali to all’ he said loudly & left the class. I chased him & stopped him in the middle of the passage. “Sir, I couldn’t get your last sentence… I heard it, but can you please explain it a little bit more?” I asked. He smiled & said, “I can’t explain it, but just remember what I’m saying now, whatever others do, try to do the same thing in a different way & you’ll find your answer.” He smiled again & left for the staff-room.

I was happy, because after a long time I was going to get free-time to do my stuff. When I came home, I was tired but I didn’t want to sleep. It is really weird. When I’m doing study, I feel sleepy & when I’ve a lot of free time, I can’t sleep. My schedule becomes less lazy & more work-oriented. So, I was searching for a nice book to read. All of a sudden, I saw a book. The name of the book was ‘Stay hungry, Stay foolish.’ I was astonished by the title. Everybody is trying to be smart & fulfilled & this author says... stay hungry & stay foolish?? How?

And I started reading the book. When I read it, I found its connection with what my teacher had mentioned earlier that day. The book had a bold title, ‘If you try to act smart, people will make you fool, so be a fool & let them know by themselves that you’re smarter than them. If you try to pretend that you’re fulfilled, nobody will give you any suggestion which can kill your growth, so stay hungry too.’

Really, innovation & creativity are the elevators of success. It is said that if you’re not failing every now & then, you’re less creative. Such people have a lot of limitations. They can’t fly above a certain altitude. Because, their wings are not strong enough to face the challenges. Innovation is the ability to see a change as an opportunity & not a threat. It distinguishes between a leader & a follower.

Innovation is not a product of a logical thought, although the result is tied to the logical structure.

Since that day, I decided, whatever I feel is right, I’m going to do that. Because if I fail, nobody is going to say that I was right. I decided, I don’t want to be one among the thousands, I want to be different. Whatever I will do, I’ll do it in my own way, and I’ll be innovative in my approach.

Swimming in the stream, avoiding the odds & becoming orthodox without accepting the change, are the reasons for the lack of creativity. Have the courage to swim against the stream, face the odds & accept the challenges. People do not support a person who goes against the rituals & protocols of the community. Let them do that. To see the change, be the change first.