SPDCA:

It is really, really hard for me to let go of ideas. Particularly when I convince myself they are good ones, and when I'm continually reminded that things could be better.

Why is this not a thing? Does it not have a cool enough name? Is it not flashy enough? Does it not promote elitism among Apple product owners? Did you ever ask what happens when you do a Group MMS with iMessage and include somebody with an Android?

(rubs eyes)

I don't think I'm concerned as much about the answers, or the idea itself, as much as it is my inability to sell something like this. In fact, I've had a number of things like this come up where I have a novel, effective, and (arguably) superior technological solution to a problem everyone has. And... something just doesn't stick. Not to say that people don't understand, or aren't listening. I mean stick as how in the marketing world they might call something "sticky," that is, an idea or emotion that seems to stick with people.

I'm not much on marketing. And yes, I'm not much of a salesperson, but I'd like to think I'm not yet so far gone down my technological rabbit-hole that I can't communicate something to someone else, particularly when that idea is exciting or interesting in and of itself.

About the worst thing someone said to me in recent memory was at work, when someone asked of what I was proposing, "Is this something normal, or is this one of your 'Josh'-type things?" implying that there was a distinct separation between a "normal" solution to a problem, and how I would have approached the problem.

Admittedly, I have a different approach to technological things, given my background, but they are almost never unfounded. The implication of this person's question was that for the things I make... they no longer represented something "normal" or at least normally accessible outside of my own little world. It painted me as someone who had lost touch with what could be considered normal, at least in the technological arena.

It was absolutely insulting. And devastating. I try to keep my technological exploits apart from my identity, but I don't do a good job. I took the comment in stride, but even now, months later, I still think about it. Nothing is worse than having your perspective on the world questioned.

I'm maybe a week out from starting a new job. I'm likely to meet new people, and start solving new problems. I'm unshaken in my confidence of my own technological merit, but I'm still willing to entertain new ideas, even if they're contrary to my own. But that's not the problem. Likely, I'll be in the position that I will have ideas that may be improvements on old systems, or policies, or processes. And I may find case to bring them up, and I will have to convince others that the status quo is unacceptable.

My question is: how do I argue to convince in this case? And what am I doing wrong in trying to sell these ideas?