My filing cabinets aren’t filled with papers, tax forms, or business documents. They’re filled with napkins. Yes, idea napkins.

Every time I sit at—my favorite breakfast spot I get a stack of napkins— It’s for capturing thoughts. I’ve sketched out ideas, doodled concepts, written hopes, and mapped dreams all across those table covers. Some of them are messy, some of them brilliant, and a lot of them are still waiting for their chance to come alive.

There’s something magical about scribbling ideas on a napkin. It’s quick, it’s raw, it’s honest. No overthinking, no editing, just pure possibility. Those napkin notes remind me that ideas don’t have to be perfect when they’re born—they just have to exist.

Do I pray and hope one of those great ideas will bounce? Absolutely. But I’ve also learned the real value isn’t just in the idea itself, it’s in the habit of writing them down. Because when inspiration strikes, if you don’t capture it, it’s gone.

So here’s my advice: don’t wait for the “right time” or the perfect notebook. Grab whatever’s in front of you—napkin, receipt, back of an envelope—and write down your idea. You never know which one will change your life.

Because sometimes, the biggest dreams start on the smallest scraps of paper.