Ever so often, I hear people say -
"I have this great idea. If only I had the [money, time, support, team, whatever] to exexute it."
"My idea is a game changing idea, but I know that some big company will do it before me."
"Oh XYZ Inc is doing this now. I had thought of it 3 years back. If only I was XYZ, I would have done it much better and much faster."

Mediocre Minds
There is no dearth of brilliant ideas that come to our minds.
What stops us from making the most of our ideas ?
Is it really the money, time, family commitments, loans .....
Or is it us ? Our sincerity and commitment to that idea ?
We know that the idea is great at the same time we also know that it will take hard work.
We are in two minds about doing it. And then walks in our friendly neighbour, friend, parent, relative who does not want to see us slog and tells us - "Forget it, you will waste too much time doing it all alone and somebody else (usually a company) will pay people and will get done with it much faster."
And you forget all about your idea, till one day the company really implements your idea and makes tons of money with it. Its called the 'pioneer' and you feel that pang in your heart and it cries out 'Pioneer, really? Hey I thought of it before you did.'

Poineer's journey
Is thinking about an idea enough or should you also act on it ?
Execution is more important than ideas.
The pioneer is the guy who takes the idea to reality.

Ups and downs are a part of every journey. A poineer's journey sees many more ups and downs.
So, if you are a poineer, it is important that you surround yourself with the right set of poeple who will provide the encouragement and support. So that when you see the bright idea in your brain and words flow out, they are heard by the right guys who push you in the right direction and support you. Not the guys who will stop your ideas from flowing and push you towards negativism.

Channel your idea in the right direction
That is the reason SIGs (Special Interest Groups) are formed. Like minded poeple induce the right feeling into each other. For example, SIGs work effectively in fields of art. Poets meet and recite to each other their poems. They encourage each other. Remember the old comics we read in childhood where the poets recited at the king's durbar and would get praise and rewards. That was such a powerful thing. The poet who was rewarded went back home thinking positive thoughts and tried to do better the next day. While the poet who was not rewarded also thought that he should do better the next day - he knew that people will not stop listening to him (unless the recital was very poor). The right audience made a whole lot of difference in the quality of art that a kindgom produced.

Open Digital Durbars
Are mailing lists and technical meetups like durbars ?
I'd say they are in many ways. A good idea when expressed in a forum of positive people will generate useful feedback which you can go back and think about. When you start executing your idea and are stuck with a problem, the right set of people can unblock you. When you have a demo to give, you are pointed/introduced to the right set of people who can help you. Some of these modern durbars are formal - as in you need membership, need to pay yearly fees etc to get into the club. Some are too
informal eg. joining the right golf club so that you meet the right guys there. And some are just the right mix - where entry is free of charge at the same time its not an informal unrelated gathering where you need to hunt the right guys. Finding the right forum and being a part of it is an important step to make sure that you are connected to the right people who will pitch in their support when you need it most.

Conclusion
All this may sound like common sense. The successful guys did exactly this and got where they are. But then, why do you still sit there cribbing about not being able to capitalize on your potential and ideas ?
Just get up right now and get going towards your dreams !