I really liked this post from Seth Godin on 22nd February:
That might not be the right question
The thing is, everyone has ideas. All the time, every day. Having ideas is part of the human condition.The right questions might be:
Are you exposing yourself to new inputs and new situations, and challenging yourself to find more interesting ideas?
Are you pushing the ideas you have further, making them more complete, turning them from hunches to notions to ideas to theories?
Are you publishing your theories, sharing your reasoning and having your ideas collide with the real world in service of making things better?
Seth Godin – seths.blog
This! Exactly this. If you haven’t read much by Seth, start anywhere.
See also:
Canon: Fences and Trampolines
The Trampoline: Networks, Standards and Freedom
Hinterland
Tyler Cowen on reading fast, reading well, and reading widely
Broker books
Innovation as network phenomenon: Matt Ridley on who invented the motor car
W. Brian Arthur on combinatorial innovation
The Toolkit – Part 0: Action. Now. (4) – Action as idea filter