Yours, mine, ours

I was reading an interesting article regarding receiving a nominal amount of pay for an idea of your own creation that went on to make somebody else millions.

I think about situations like this a lot.

First, because I’m a human being with an ego (try as I might not to be ruled by it).

Second, the topic is near and dear to my heart, as hubby is a product engineer/creator/inventor, etc… in the outdoor sports/hunting/recreation realm and when his brilliant ideas, creations, mechanisms, and inventions go mainstream nobody knows they’re his.

When shown one of his first products in the online catalog of a major outdoor retail chain, my response turned quickly from glee to fury as I noted that neither my husband’s name nor his company’s name were anywhere in the ad.

Nothing. Nowhere.

And the hunter guy on TV referring to his latest hunting creation? I was beside myself with irritation at the injustice of it all!

“Are you telling me he gets to pretend he’s the creator of said product “? I demanded of the true creator of said product– who happens to be my husband! (like I said, I’m still working on the ego thing… 😉 )

“Yep, that’s how it works,” was his nonplussed reply.

Stand down wildcat.

It’s taken me some time, but my becoming at peace with it (or rather the philosophy behind what it actually IS-which we’ll delve into in the next post) has been a crucial (and continuous!) life lesson for me.

The lesson is actually invaluable, which is why I realized once I began to get it, how hard the universe had been working to show it to me. You know, through those “random” circumstances, situations, people, encounters, etc… that just happened to show up in my life in a manner that had me thinking, “what a coincidence- this again!”

Except that I don’t believe in coincidences.

When we’re meant to, we become aware that “mine” is prevalent in our lives. For example, just in this post:

• my idea
• my ego
• my hubby
• my peace

And I probably even missed some!

From the time we get here, we learn that “mine” matters. It wasn’t something any of us needed to be taught- we simply absorbed what was readily modeled.

Everywhere.

By everyone.

And we held onto it. After all, it’s “mine”.

It’s not that it’s right or wrong, it just IS.

And it has its place. After all, especially when we’re speaking of “mine” in terms of legality regarding infringement on and theft of our creations and contributions, it’s not only necessary but essential- through copyrights, patents, trademarks, etc… to protect ownership rights.

But what if we look beyond that?

If we look beyond what’s legal and just in the business world to decipher for ourselves what’s acceptable for just our own individual selves, the question I often find myself pondering is this:

Is my main objective that everyone knows “it” (the product, message, idea, innovation, etc…) came from me or is simply getting it out there enough?

Might unlearning the concept of “mine” be an integral facet of tapping into a more powerful source of inspiration?

What’s your take?

If you’ve ever wondered about this yourself, I’d appreciate if you’d share your thoughts in the comments. There are no wrong answers, just potential connection that may bring about beneficial insight to those seeking it.

We’ll continue the conversation in the next post.