Early on in Dragon Ball, a young Son Goku receives a gift from his master: Flying Nimbus, a golden cloud that will carry the young warrior wherever he wants to go. Initially, Goku takes Nimbus for a spin, soaring up into the sky, dashing through deep canyons, and zipping across lakes. Eventually, however, he learns to rely on it as dependable companion, a friend that’ll get him from A to B.
Ideas are like Nimbus. They’re fluffy clouds, ready to carry us in a million directions. All we have to do is jump on, and zoom, off we go. Unlike Goku, however, most of us can’t lean on a golden idea handed to us by our master. We must pick our own partners, and that’s where it gets tricky.
Will this green Nimbus bring us to the money faster? Where is this orange one going to lead us? Should we choose the blue cloud, the red one, or stick with good old white? Spoiled for choice, we get fidgety. We jump from Nimbus to Nimbus. We swoosh north one day only to turn around and head south on the next.
If we look at our clouds closely, however, we’ll notice they all have the same shape, and it’s a shape we’re quite familiar with. Clouds look like brains because, actually, all we have is one companion. One buddy to carry us wherever we want to go. Ideas are just the color we dye our brain clouds in, and if we’re too busy trying to cycle through all the facets of a rainbow, we’ll never jump on, soar into the sky, and see a real one.
Wait for your golden idea. Sit. Think. Ward off the glitter the world constantly wants to blow into your eyes. Reject shiny object syndrome until your cloud itself is shiny. What’s the true destination you want it to take you?
Cherish your Flying Nimbus. Recognize it as a dependable friend. Don’t jump on until you’re sure of your goal, but once you’re in the air, ride your brain until you’ve reached your final station. You don’t need a master to hand you the gift of focus, but like Goku, once you have it, you’ll achieve all your dreams and more.