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We live in a world where medical miracles and high-tech marvels are almost commonplace. New cure-all prescription drugs fill our pharmacies daily, and last year’s electronic products are this year’s dinosaurs; as smaller, stronger, and smarter versions are launched each week. Most of us look at these innovations as something we could never invent. We’re lucky if we even can figure out how to use them.

Every year, however, a number of inventions show up in the marketplace that make us say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” I’m sure any one of us could have invented the paper clip. We just didn’t do it.

Now, before I go any further, I want you to know that I’m an inventor groupie. I have nothing but respect and admiration for all inventors. I think it’s part of my DNA. My Dad, Lazarus Greenberg, and his brother, Marvin, were always coming up with clever gadget solutions. When my brothers and I couldn’t reach the doorknob on the back door, my Dad added a lever and chain to the knob. We pulled on the chain and the door would open. Simple, but it worked. My Dad and Uncle also came up with springs for eyeglasses long before they showed up on fancy designer frames. Here are a few actual sketches showing their improvised solutions to the prob-lems of washing-machine lint, vent pipes, and clogged gutters.

Sadly, I wasn’t raised on royalties from inventions. I don’t even know if they ever filed for a patent. But despite their lack of monetary success in that field, or maybe because of it, I became hooked on invention, ingenuity, and innovative products. Like I said, I guess it’s just in the DNA.

These days, I earn part of my living as the “Innovation Insider.” I travel around the country showcasing some of America’s smartest new products. In my mind, there’s nothing more American than that entrepreneurial spirit that all inventors share. In this country, if you hit the right idea, your life and the lives of your children, grandchildren, and even great grandchildren will never be the same.

Approximately 60,000 patents are filed each year by private Americans. That’s a lot of people grabbing at that brass ring. When I talk to inventors, many working out of their garages, I’m always impressed with their passion and persistence. They truly believe they have the next must-have product. Friends and family may tell them they’re nuts, but they push forward. And almost all of the inventors I have spoken to have said they want their products to be a success, but not only because of the money. They genuinely want to change the world. There’s an indescribable joy in seeing your invention sitting on a store shelf. It’s like having a bit of