Innovation: Turning Childhood Dreams into Today’s Reality

“All grown-ups were once children –though few of them remember it.”

— Antoine de Saint Exupery, The Little Prince

Recently, I attended one of my favorite events – the EG conference in Monterey, California. Speakers ranged from musicians to rocket scientists to pickpockets and everything in between. Embracing the theme of “everything is learning, learning is everything,” the presenters encouraged us to embrace our inner child’s imagination and curiosity. Amanda Hill, CBO of BBC Earth was a particular inspiration. She reminded me of many things that we here at Cisco are striving to achieve, especially as we reimagine the Internet of Everything (IoE), a world in which everything is connected.

“Innovation is no more complicated than having that unique perspective.”

As children we looked not at the world’s limitations, but at the vast possibilities it had to offer.  When we grow up, many of us lose that wide-eyed wonder and see the world as a series of set rules. Innovation is as simple as going back to our childlike curiosity, forgetting the rules, and dreaming the impossible.

“If you’re going to dream, dream really big, because sometimes it is the easiest things to do.”

Too often we let the unlikeliness of our dreams, and the fear of what others may think, stand in the way of trying. To be innovative, to be happy, we must allow ourselves to dream in the most impossible ways; we must reawaken ourselves. The greatest things in our world today are those which yesterday’s people dreamed and made possible.

“Storytellers, not TV producers”

If a title limits you, change it. In order to reach the most viewers, BBC realized they couldn’t look at themselves as just TV producers, but as storytellers. Cisco has done the same. Cisco is more than just a technology vendor; the real story is about the amazing things that happen when you connect people, places, and things with the Internet of Everything.

As we go through our daily lives, we must remind ourselves to not let the everyday jade us. Get into the habit of looking around with child-like perspective. At   Cisco, we imagine the Internet of Everything where the possible connections between people, places, processes, and things are unlimited. My question to you is this:  if you were a kid, what would you like to see connected by the Internet of Everything?

Follow Marie on twitter @MarieHattar and tweet your answers with #IoE