Kids nowadays....

I remember when I was nine. On weekdays, I would get out of bed and go to school, and when I got home, did my homework, eat, and go back to bed. On weekends, if I wasn't outside playing, I would watch cartoons for most of the day. Not nine-year-old Lim Ding Wen. It seems he is a nine year old prodigy from Singapore that is fluent in six programming languages. Heard enough to make you feel nearly useless? There's more.

Young Mr. Wen has created an iPhone drawing game called Doodle Kids, which, as of this writing, has racked up over 4,000 downloads in just two weeks! How do you feel now? Probably not as bad as I do, read on.

Lim originally wrote the program for his younger sisters who like to draw. It works like an etch-a-sketch. You draw on the screen of the iPhone with your fingers, and to erase the drawing, you simply shake the iPhone.

My whole life, I have said that all it takes is a gimmick for someone to be successful and get rich. Not a gimmick as in the kind that rips people off, but a gimmick as in something simple, small and seemingly insignificant that millions of people will buy, and may make you wealthy enough to live comfortably.

True story: When my son was young, around 6 or 7 I think, he came to me with an idea. He wanted me to install a set of roller skate wheels in his sneakers. He pestered me for weeks. I gave the idea a bit of thought, and even though I am quite handy and innovative, I could not for the life of me, visualize how to retract the wheels and keep them retracted. Also, being the safety conscious fool that I am, I could just envision children rolling around, falling and breaking arms, legs, and heads. In today's society, that means lawsuits, something I could do without. So I told him it was a stupid idea, and just blew it off.

Then, while we were walking through the local mall one day about four or five years later, a small boy just "flew" past us. Flew, meaning rolled. What the heck! How is he doing that, he has sneakers on! YEP! He had a pair of sneakers that had the roller skate wheels built into them. We just saw our first pair of Heelys. I looked at my son, and he looked up at me with what I can only describe as anger and disappointment. Every time we saw a child with Heelys, and I do mean EVERY, he gave me that look. I have now seen that look thousands of times, and continue to get it whenever we see them. My son is now an adult, and to this day, he will not let me forget that we missed out on one of the biggest fads of the late 20th century.

What does that story have to do with young Mr. Wen? Well, I am not sure, but I hope he has found his gimmick. Everyone deserves to find theirs. I just hope my son can find a new one, and you can bet your bottom dollar, this time I will not ignore another "stupid" idea.

I am sure many successful businessmen (or women) have had unconventional ideas. I am sure a few may even have discounted some great ideas like I discounted my son's "roller skate in a sneaker" idea. But, the difference between a businessman that is getting by, and a truly successful businessman, is that the successful business owners go with their gut feelings and take a chance. They don't care what others think of the idea. They just knew it would work, and did whatever they needed to, to make it work.

If you find yourself with a "gimmick" that you think may be the next big thing, take a chance! Yours may be the next great fad that everyone just has to be a part of! Still not sure? Think pet rock!

Dwayne Haskell owns and operates Mistkits.com where complete misting kits, individual components, and advice can be found. After building his own misting system for his nursery, he realized he could design and build systems for small nurseries or home gardeners who are interested in starting their own plants from cuttings.

He has written an E-book titled Build an Arbor in Just One Weekend, and another on gardening, landscaping and plant propagation tips. He also enjoys teaching others how to grow their own landscape plants and owns and moderates the Mistkits blog, where you can find more articles, polls, and quizzes on landscape and gardening related topics. Be sure to grab your own copy of an E-book when you visit!