The document discusses overcoming barriers to acting on ideas. It outlines five common excuses for not pursuing ideas: priority, novelty, validity, security, and community. For each excuse, it provides lessons learned for overcoming those excuses, such as that truly great ideas demand being acted on, most problems seem obvious once solved, and the best ideas flourish with input from others. The key message is that the biggest barriers to ideas are often self-imposed, but these can be overcome with the support of community.

1. The Five Excuses:
Overcoming barriers and
acting upon your best ideas.
Matthew Homann
ⓒ 2014 Matthew Homann All Rights Reserved

2. My name is Matt Homann
and I suffer from
Idea Surplus Disorder.
Twitter: @matthomann
ⓒ 2014 Matthew Homann All Rights Reserved

3. These are the slides from my
talk at the Creativity World
Forum in Kortrijk, Belgium.
11 November 2014
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5. My problem wasn’t having
great ideas. It was having to
do something with them.
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Here are my five excuses,
and the lessons I’ve learned
as I’ve overcome them.

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9. My First Excuse Priority

10. The world is filled with great
ideas craving the attention
of their distracted owners.
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11. If you’re not compelled to act
upon your idea, it was never
really yours to begin with.
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13. My Second Excuse Novelty

14. “In every work of genius
we recognize our own
rejected thoughts.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
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15. Most who’ve had your great
idea before have done as
little with it as you.
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16. Problems are rarely more
“obvious” than at the precise
moment someone solves them.
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17. The most “obvious” problems
are best at hiding from those
who fail to look for them.
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19. My Third Excuse Validity

20. Your peers don’t challenge
your best ideas because
they fear you’ll fail.
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21. They challenge your ideas
because they’re afraid you’ll
change faster than they can.
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22. Truly great ideas are selfish
companions. They won’t rest
until you change yourself
to serve their needs.
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24. My Fourth Excuse Security

25. Others aren’t interested in
stealing your ideas. They’re far
too busy ignoring their own.
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26. Your reluctance to share says
more about you than it does
about the quality of your idea.
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27. The best ideas flourish
when they spend time
in the company of others.
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29. My Fifth Excuse Community

30. Though it feels safer to fail
alone than to fail with others,
it is far easier to succeed with
others than to succeed alone.
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31. The single most important
skill to possess is the ability
to place your trust in others.
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33. The biggest barriers to your
idea are rarely erected by
anyone other than you.
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The world is filled with
others giving the exact same
same excuses as you.

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The moment you realize your
challenges can be overcome
with the support of others...

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There is no limit to the
incredible things you will
be able to accomplish!

39. Thank you!
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40. My name is Matt Homann
and I own Kendeo and co-
founded Invisible Girlfriend.
Kendeo.com / InvisibleGirlfriend.com
ⓒ 2014 Matthew Homann All Rights Reserved

41. Here’s how you can reach me:
matt@kendeo.com
@matthomann
LinkedIn.com/in/Homann
ⓒ 2014 Matthew Homann All Rights Reserved