do light bulb moments really exist?

“the beauty of light bulb moments is more than a gift of a blinding flash of inspiration. when you get a true light bulb moment it is perfect in many other respects. the timing is just exquisite. all the resources you need to make it happen seem to fall into place effortlessly. the light bulb moment seems to come along just when you need it — or the planet needs it.” Tom Evans

a light bulb moment is a phrase that we all recognise, but it has become somewhat cliche. as inspirational as Evans’ description above is, it seems rather idealistic. Isaac Newton had a perfectly incandescent moment sitting under a tree, when an apple fell on his head, which led him to have a revelation as to the whole theory of gravity. but what does a light bulb moment mean for us, and how do you know when you’ve had one?

the annoying and slight cop-out answer, is that there isn’t one. light bulb moments look different for everyone.

there are however, ways to dig a little deeper and explore what we mean by light bulb moments. what is that idea that you’ve got that you can’t understand why it doesn’t exist already? what is a thought that gets your heart racing with excitement? what is that nag that wakes you at 3am? start acting on those. see where they takes you.

Thomas Edison, the father of the light bulb, famously said “genius is one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent perspiration”. contrary to Evan’s arguably picturesque description, the timing is often not perfect at all, things don’t fall into place, and you have to scramble resources together. Edison knew this all too well. tragically, one of his assistants died of yellow fever on a research trip to South America.

you have to be prepared to do the slog. to try, and fail, and try again and fail, and try again, and again. passion is a game changer, so get excited about the initial idea you have and be in it for the long haul.

get out there. immerse yourself in different environments. get inspired. have stimulating conversations. read. explore. go that extra mile.

it’s not about forcing yourself to try and have a lightbulb moment, but there are ways we can encourage these moments, and see where it takes our thoughts. you could start with giving yourself a few challenges:

1. communicate thoughts and ideas with friends and family; the best ideas often spawn from brainstorming.

2. sleep with a notepad next to your bed. write any musings down, anything that wakes you at 3am, any dreams you have.

3. dedicate time to researching, going to lectures, or watching TED talks.

don’t just wait for the apple to fall. you might have to find the orchard, seek out the best tree, scout the ripest apple, and climb up to grab it. but the views will be amazing, and the adventure so worth the slog.

ironically, energy saving lights have ruined the “light bulb” moment, given that they take time to warm up and light. part II coming, where we explore what this means…