As a FOC (fan of Chris), I’ve gotta say that I’ve also heard that thumping cacophony inside my head too, and thought… what is that infernal noise?

Funnier still, I’ve come to realize that the person swinging the bat at me, rarely, if ever, knows they are signaling me or even intending to do so.

Opportunity knocks, sometimes viciously, sometimes like a zephyr… it’s volume / rage level does not correlate to the idea’s genius or fit. So learning to tune your opportunity ear properly, takes time, and effort. The usual course of things is to develop a sort of banner blindness to it, because of opportunity’s omnipresence.

The breadth of what blows at each of us is incredible – so filters must be developed. But, we must be alert to over filtering, else new ideas never get a chance to be interviewed.

I think of it as a plucking action. Watching, filtering, thinking, refiltering as they stream by… and every once in a while, I reach out and… snatch, pluck one for deeper inspection.

As I’ve grown in experience, my prowess tuned, I’ve mentored folks and taught them to pluck and seize… becoming quite the mother plucker myself, so to speak.