Did you ever watch the TV show MacGyver? MacGyver was a TV character, popular in the 1980s and 1990s.In recent years, they remade the series and so you can continue to watch it with a brand new cast.
Who was MacGyver? Basically he was a problem solver and a deep thinker. He would always find ways to get himself (and others) out of difficult and challenging spots. He spoke multiple languages. He was very skillful in many areas — okay — he was skillful in pretty much everything. If that wasn’t enough, he was just an all around good guy — kind and respectful to everyone.
MacGyver always carried some tools with him — the quintessential Boy Scout. He was always prepared. And he only carried a few tools with him, like some duck tape (yes, you can call it duck tape or duct tape), a Swiss Army knife, and a few other things. What was so cool about him is that he could take something so ordinary and use it for extraordinary purposes.
That’s what innovation is all about.
Consider tin foil — something you’ll find in most every kitchen. You can use it to wrap up your food, or you can do these things: You can use it for lining drawers or your oven, cleaning your grill, insulation, making a funnel, scrubbing pans and more!
So what are you using in your life that might have an alternative or new and exciting use. I’ll share one example from my past. I have a tool called Wufoo. It’s an app that you use to make response forms that can be embedded into your site or sent as links through email or social media. My innovative use? Using it as a help desk. Why shell out a lot of money every month for a complicated help desk when you can create a really nice help desk form that asks for all the information I need to help a client or customer.
There are other apps I have that I use in innovative ways. What about you? Do you have a unique use or application for something in your life? If so I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below!
Wishing you the best of innovation!
Tara Kachaturoff
