Importance of Goal Setting in Innovation

"It doesn't matter where you are coming from. All that matters is where you are going." - Brian Tracy

Innovation is a journey of challenging one’s own limitations and finding new ways of approaching a situation or solving a problem. We believe that it is paramount to set impossible goals to innovate. By setting impossible goals we put ourselves into a challenging situation and only by challenging ourselves to find new ways of doing things can we truly innovate. I would like to share an example to demonstrate my point of view.

Example:

An Israeli inventor Mr.Gafni created the first commercially sold cardboard bicycle which costs $9.

His Goal – Why not make a bicycle out of cardboard?

His Inspiration – Gafni was inspired by the news that a man had successfully built a cardboard canoe.

Although he was told by many of his friends and peers that it’s impossible, he decided to challenge it. He bought the thickest cardboard to test for durability. Taking inspiration from Japanese Origami, he folded and bended each piece into the required shape. 

He kept on working on his prototype till he achieved his final goal.

Today, this innovation has become a game changer in the bike world as this bike is going to be cheap and available for any child in the world.

This example clearly illustrates the power of setting an impossible goal and following it up with relentless effort.

- by Anuj Chaudhary

DISCLAIMER: H2I has referred the following website to get the images. http://www.businessinsider.com/izhar-gafni-has-invented-the-first-cardboard-bicycle-2012-8?op=1