Today, though, I would like to talk about how so many of our original ideas have already been conceived and produced. Take this website, for example. When I made the decision to drop everything, travel and write about it, I thought that surely this was a novel concept. I thought about some different themes I could try, like climbing to the tallest point in every country or sharing crazy things I see, maybe doing something unique in every country, or simply writing about Westernized society and the struggle to be individuals when we have been so conditioned to a certain way of life.

Well, guess what? When I researched ideas for this website and my travels, I found that A LOT of others were already doing what I wanted to do!

Here’s a short list:

Christine Gilbert quit her job as a Fortune 500 manager to travel…Hmmm…her story seems closest to mine, yet I just found her website yesterday!

Tim Ferriss never really had a job, but he’s a genius and quickly masters everything he tries. I like learning new things and am fairly intelligent, but don’t have that kind of innate brilliance to master new skillsets in a matter of weeks. In any case, part of what I want to do with Ends of Earth is learn new things around the world and share them. Many of my “original” ideas for themes were already being done by him!

Matt Harding quit his job as a video game programmer to travel. Accidentally, he did a silly little “dance” everywhere he went, made a short video of all the dance clips, then got sponsored by a gum company when the videos went viral. He recently wrote a book about his experiences doing the dance all over the world. I couldn’t believe his luck when I first read about him, because he was doing only a small part of what I had planned, yet was accidentally very successful. If anyone has an idea for a viral video I could do, let me know!

Tynan has always lived life “outside the box” and does funny, crazy things regularly. He actually bought and lived in an RV, something I mentioned in my last article. He writes occasionally on travel gear and technology. He does things to the extreme and lives by his own code. Once again, he is a person with whom I share so much in common and he was already writing about and doing these things long before my plan to leave my profession.

With technology so advanced and improving so rapidly, and the entire world becoming connected, having a truly original idea is nearly impossible. Even the best idea is usually based on another invention, building on the shoulders of others. Science history is full of originator disputes, so why should modern pop culture ideas be any different.

Have you ever had a brilliant idea that you later found out was already taken? Did you feel like you just barely missed your shot at the American dream? What was/is your idea? Please share!