> Everything I've thought about has been done already. That feeds into the negative feedback/lazyness cycle I'm stuck in.
Here's something I've learned.
Truly novel ideas--something that nobody else has ever thought of--are extremely uncommon. Like, once-in-a-lifetime uncommon. If you're waiting for the day when your biggest contribution to humanity is an original idea, you'll find only disappointment.
But that doesn't mean you can't be successful (whatever that word may mean for you). Most of the world's "innovations" simply rehash existing ideas, but do so in a way that stands out above the rest. To make something great like that takes a combination of talent and experience. While you can't exactly control for raw talent, you can, given time, build the requisite skills and experience.
This--for me and I hope for you too--is extremely encouraging. It allows me to dive deeply into my work and, yes, my ideas, without worrying about how original they are or if others are doing the same. Knowing that I can be successful if I work hard enough--all without ever having an original thought enter my head--takes a lot of the pressure off and allows me to free up space to be creative without worrying about the repercussions. As a result, and contrary to what you might expect, this makes it more likely I'll one day have that crazy idea that nobody else had.
This is only my experience, of course. But my hope is that you'll realize it's okay and perfectly normal to be, as you described, "idea bankrupt," as long as you realize that ideas aren't your only currency.
Here's something I've learned.
Truly novel ideas--something that nobody else has ever thought of--are extremely uncommon. Like, once-in-a-lifetime uncommon. If you're waiting for the day when your biggest contribution to humanity is an original idea, you'll find only disappointment.
But that doesn't mean you can't be successful (whatever that word may mean for you). Most of the world's "innovations" simply rehash existing ideas, but do so in a way that stands out above the rest. To make something great like that takes a combination of talent and experience. While you can't exactly control for raw talent, you can, given time, build the requisite skills and experience.
This--for me and I hope for you too--is extremely encouraging. It allows me to dive deeply into my work and, yes, my ideas, without worrying about how original they are or if others are doing the same. Knowing that I can be successful if I work hard enough--all without ever having an original thought enter my head--takes a lot of the pressure off and allows me to free up space to be creative without worrying about the repercussions. As a result, and contrary to what you might expect, this makes it more likely I'll one day have that crazy idea that nobody else had.
This is only my experience, of course. But my hope is that you'll realize it's okay and perfectly normal to be, as you described, "idea bankrupt," as long as you realize that ideas aren't your only currency.