Dictionary: (1) : a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something (2) : an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking (3) : an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure b : a revealing scene or moment
An epiphany is that thought that wakes you up in the middle of the night, saying, “Yes, that’s it!” It’s that small mental voice you hear in your head that provides you the solution you’ve been seeking.
Most of us mere mortals have epiphanies very day, whether we recognize them or not. Because of the way the human brain is organized, the subconscious is designed not only to store information but to provide solutions and ideas. Every new business idea is the result of an epiphany: an idea that bubbled up from the subconscious to provide that “ah ha” moment.
I chose to call this, my first blog “epiphanyblog” because I want it to be the place to document thoughts and ideas on a variety of subjects…anything that captures my interest.
Since this is my first foray into blogging and I’m learning as I proceed, I’m going to start with an observation.
I recently returned to the San Francisco Bay Area from four years in Chicago. When I left for Chicago, the Bay Area was in deep shock as a result of the dot com bust and recession. Millions of investor dollars had been lost and thousands were out of work. I expected to return to a business climate that was healthy again but still based on the surviving, large high tech companies.
When I arrived back here, I found instead a vibrant, exciting business community. The Bay Area had not only picked itself up and dusted itself off, it had charged ahead with new ideas and greater enthusiasm. It has rebuilt its tech community even better than before. Every where I looked on the internet at jobs in the Bay Area, new start up company names appeared. These new companies aren’t like the old dot com start ups, based on freewheeling, wild ideas, they are based on solid technology with what appears to be great business plans.
It would be easy to say I’m thrilled to be back in the Bay Area because of its weather or because of its physical beauty or because it has been my home for most of my adult life, but the deeper truth is being in the Bay Area is exciting because the people here are constantly turning epiphanies into innovative companies that can change the world in which we live.
