"No need to write it down—I'll remember."

Famous last words, right? I'm sure all of us have falling into this trap before, probably many times. We have a great idea, an amazing idea, and it just seems so strong and so obvious that we don't see how it could ever be possible to forget it. So why take the time to jot it down? I'll remember!

And before we know it, it's gone. And we're left scratching our head, trying desperately to recall what it was, because it was such an amazing idea. Or it seems like it was such an amazing idea. It's gone so we are only going off our memory of the emotion of having that idea, but we don't actually know. It might have been a dumb idea and that's why it slipped away.

Yeah, it happened to me the other day. So the experience is fresh in my mind. It's still a little frustrating, even a day later as I write this, because it was so good and I was so excited about it. If only I could remember what it was!!

The Zen suggestion about this situation would be to stop grasping, stop trying to micromanage the mind and let it do it's own thing. The mind thinks, that's what it does. We should avoid trying to take control and think for it and should instead make the request for information and let the mind work at it, confident that if the mind can find what we want, it will give it to us later.

We all have some awareness that companies work best when the manager merely gives the employee a direction and allows them to do it on their own, rather than trying to micromanage it and tell the employee exactly how to do everything, possibly standing right behind them and watching, or checking in on them every two seconds. It seems like the situation where the manager allows his employee some room to breathe is the much better and more efficient situation, right? But then with our mind we turn around and try to do the opposite, micromanaging the bejesus out of it.

That's the idea anyway. Philosophy and theory is always easier than practice. I mean, here is the perfect example, eh? I've been practicing Zen Buddhism for 25 years, but I sitting here trying to wrest this idea from my mind. Gimme my amazing idea, dammit!!

What can I say? No one's perfect.

Anyway, as to my idea... as they say: easy come, easy go.

Incidentally, this is why I almost always carry a tiny notebook with me or my Hipster PDA. Worst case I have a notepad in the dock of my phone. I usually always use one of these capture methods too, because I know how easy it is to lose an idea. But... you need to use them for them to work!

my great idea
here and then gone...
oh well

(at least I got a haiku out of the ordeal)

David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Twitter or Mastodon.