Origin Story

All great ideas come from somewhere. They have an origin.

You can trace the path back to a specific moment or a series of moments that started it all. It is the moment when things came together in such a way that made starting the business, creating the project, or launching the idea happen. This is the origin story.

Some stories are well known like Apple starting in a garage and Facebook starting in Mark Zuckerberg's dorm room at Harvard. Others are less well known but still foundational in the principles of the organization like the original Chick-fil-a opening as the "Dwarf Grill".

Every origin is unique. No two are the same. They cannot be repeated or duplicated because what makes them unique is the story.

Often we try to duplicate another story and expect similar results. The problem is this is impossible. The world has changed since they started the company. Some for the better and some for the worse. You cannot recreate the environment they had when they started. You can learn from their principles but you cannot duplicate their actions.

If you followed every step that Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak took to start Apple in today's day and age, you would starve. The environment isn't the same. The competition is stronger. The market is different.

The origin is the beginning. Seldom is it an epiphany moment. Often it is a journey that starts with more questions than answers. The search is part of the fun that drives the inner excitement and fear.

The search drives the well where ideas and passions flow from. When you understand where you thoughts flow from, you can be intentional about creating the path they flow through.

Everybody starts somewhere. Where you start is very important, but it doesn't determine where you will finish.

Photo Credit: atem_y_zeit