That uncomfortable beautiful feeling

The client was cool. The brand was amazing.

We saw an opportunity and got excited.

We cracked the idea and felt good about it.

We presented the full plan with enthusiasm.

We sold it really well.

Client liked it. It was a good route.

We killed it the next morning.

What happened overnight?

It just happened that the client liked it. It was a good route.

He didn’t question or challenge anything.

He smiled, satisfied, as if we read his mind.

He was too comfortable.

He could easily link the idea to what his product stands for.

He could surely see the sales potential.

Was this what we were really looking for? A happy & comfortable client?

Was this the ultimate idea that would connect with people.

Was this the next big one that would blow your mind away.

Our idea was good and the client liked it.

With a tiny ‘i’, a lower case ‘g’ and a boring little ‘l’.

There are 3 types of Great Ideas:

• The ‘how come we didn’t think about it’ ones.
• The ‘I wish we thought about it first’ ones.
• The ‘fuck! These guys must be on something’ ones.

Being in the presence of greatness leaves you unsettled, a tad uncomfortable, speechless for a few seconds,

sometimes  for minutes….

It leaves you with a bit of discomfort, like when you are face to face with an unexpectedly gorgeous woman.

A great idea happens when your instinct tells you yes, but you’re not too sure…it takes a bit of time, then it overwhelms you.

The more open-minded, risk taker, experienced you are, the quicker the gap between discomfort & excitement narrows.

Good ideas sink immediately into your mind

Great ideas play with it at first. Then they blow it away.

Why?

It is simple. A great idea is one that goes beyond your comfort zone.

It takes you places you’ve never been. It defies the usual, the norm, the mundane.

It defies the brief. And takes it to a better place.

The reason we killed our first idea, was because it was approved on the spot.

It didn’t leave our client with a bit of discomfort. It was too safe and good.

We usually don’t settle for that, especially when we see the opportunity and when the client is up for it.

So next time your client smiles but tells you he needs some time to absorb & assimilate the work he just saw,

rest assured that you did a great job.