Bringing ideas to life
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 We all have ideas. Some good, many- Put your idea aside
- One thing I’ve found to be a real blessing in disguise is to let an idea set for at least a month after my initial excitement for it. 95% of the time I find that my enthusiasm for that particular idea is all but non-existent after waiting that long.
The idea might still be good, but if after a month a month you aren’t as enthralled with it as you were to begin with how do you expect to be enthralled with it a year or two down the road. Put it aside for at least a month and then go back to it. If the passion is still there then you have something to work with.
- Be brutally honest
- This is a tall order for most people when it comes to evaluating themselves and their ideas. What seems like a good idea at first glance is often found to be lacking upon further review. When you’re taking a look at an idea you’ve had with a critical eye ask a few questions and be brutally honest in your answers. I like to start with a short list of questions that look a lot like the following -
- Is my idea original and if not how unoriginal is it?
- Am I willing to put the time and effort into developing the idea?
- Do I actually have the skills to make this idea work or know people who do?
- Am I able to invest both time and capital into the idea?
- How much time am I willing to invest in this idea?
My simple rule is that if I answer no to two or more of those questions I squash the idea and leave it dead. If I answer no to one question I think long and hard about it before moving forward. If I answer yes to all of those questions I’m much more comfortable and willing to move forward.
- Everyone has a role to play
- In movies there are the main actors and actresses. They are the big name stars that get millions of dollars just to show up on the set. Behind those people are the ones who actually make the movie work. They are the supporting cast and crew. It might be your idea and you might be the big “star”, but don’t forget to surround yourself with a supporting cast and crew that can make your idea shine.
- Fresh eyes are the best eyes
- Despite being honest with ourselves there are going to be times when we’ll insist on biting off more than we can chew. We become like little kids trying to get the square peg into the round hole. They can’t see it doesn’t work but everyone else can. No amount of coaxing or coaching will convince them otherwise. They have to experience it for themselves.
Refusing to allow others to give input to our ideas is a lot like that. The idea we have is square and we’re trying to stuff it into a round hole. It doesn’t fit and for the life of us we can’t figure out why. If we’d only take a moment to ask those around us for help we might be surprised how much easier it is to put the right peg into the right hole.
- Knowing when to call it quits
- Reality is a cruel master at times, but it is also a very necessary master. If your idea simply isn’t working out don’t try to make it work. Abandon it. If you’re the only one who is excited about it you might as well just give up on it altogether. There’s really no point in beating a dead horse. It’s dead no matter how hard you kick and a bad idea is a bad idea regardless of how many times you try to make it something else