The Idea
I had a concept that was going to reshape the lives of millions.
I had a great idea.
Shortly after writing and publishing an article regarding it, insanity ensued. Readers basked in delight at the prose that filled their minds and warmed their hearts. People were laughing, crying, cheering, applauding.
TIME magazine called asking, nay, begging me to do an interview. Barbara Walters came out of retirement for the occasion.
My first tweet announcing the new writing garnered 1,376,947 retweets and 3,765,003 favorites. The article had a modest 904,878 views … on the first day. “Geoff Gates” was a trending topic on Twitter for eight days straight.
My dad called and told me how proud he was (he does that all the time, but this time was even more special than the rest). My colleagues, co-workers, peers, bosses and roommates alike constantly asked me to explain the story of how I came up with such a revolutionary idea, to which I would modestly reply, “It just … came to me.”
Women flocked to my office with promises of love and lust. Jessica Alba stopped in once, coyly asking if she could take a selfie with me. I agreed. It’s now the most retweeted tweet in the history of Twitter.
Seth Godin called and asked if I had time for a coffee, mumbling something about needing advice on a new project. After a ten minute conversation, he walked away thinking more clearly than he ever had before.
My inbox became consistently full, to the point that I needed to hire an assistant. People emailed me about how fascinating my idea was, and how effectively I presented the idea through my writing. A young couple in rural Arkansas met each other at one of the various viewing parties of the article. They graciously invited me to their wedding and named their first born “Geoff”.
The American Society of Journalists and Authors immediately called, asking if I had interest in being their new writing ambassador. Unfortunately with my schedule having been recently filled with speaking engagements and t.v. show appearances, I had to decline.
Michael Jordan asked for my autograph.
Laurence Baer, President & CEO of the San Francisco Giants, invited me to throw out the first pitch at a Friday night game. It was the second most watched television program in U.S. history, slightly behind Superbowl XLVIII.
My idea was rocket fuel, and it boosted me to a completely new level of success.
So, what was this revolutionary idea? What had the nation so captivated?
The World will actually never know.
I didn’t write the idea down.
I completely forgot what it was.
All I have now is the memory of something I thought was perfect. The next time you have a great idea, do yourself (and Jessica Alba) a favor.
Write. It. Down.
If you found this article to be cool in any way, I’d really love it if you could scroll down just a tiny bit further and hit that recommend button. It would be, like, super awesome if you did that.
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