Every week I hear a phrase that makes me cringe. A phrase that reeks of ignorance and envy. A phrase uttered by people who have failed not because they’ve tried but because they haven’t.

The phrase goes something like this, “I could’ve thought of that!”

Last week it was in response to an Indian curry food truck. The week before it was a kitschy Oregon Trail t-shirt.

Each time I hear it, the following scrolls across the inside of my brain like an incredibly complicated stock ticker: Yes, you could have…But you didn’t. Followed immediately by: And even if you did, that doesn’t mean much.

Harsh and a tad dickish, but ultimately true.

Ideas are a dime a dozen, what separates the women from the girls is the execution. The 500 hours of work post-light bulb are what define success from failure. The moment of inspiration while meaningful at that moment is actually meaningless from a bird’s eye perspective.

The best way to cope is to practice executing so you’re ready to develop a great idea when you find it. The ironic catch-22 is the best practice is failure. So I guess that means you should get failing!