There IS an ‘R’ in Idea
July 22nd, 2007 Filed under: Uncategorized — Small Home Business AuthorOne neat idea is all it takes.
Most people generate ideas that they never follow up on – every day. What stops them? Desire, a plan, and lack of self-confidence.
An idea, plus desire, and a good plan come together and work for each other…you’ll win.
It’s simple advice, but how many have actually built a better mousetrap? There are pitfalls and self-realization skills you should be aware of when that next idea comes along. Some people call them “idears” with good reason. There are four R’s in an idea…
1. Record your idea. Whether its writing it down, or quickly putting it to an email to yourself or audio recording, an idea that is lost is one that is never realized. With all of the modern conveniences available to us, there shouldn’t be any reason you can’t take a few minutes after each idea forms to record it to something other than your memory. Once recorded, take time to review them at least once per week.
2. Research your idea. See if anyone else has already done it and how you can possibly implement or improve it with your own take. The internet is a wealth of information…some good, some bad. But there are other sources you should also consider: a close family member, a loyal friend or business partner, even complete strangers if you’ll feel more comfortable with an unbiased review.
3. Resist criticism. Most ideas never get started out of fear of failure. Don’t depend on your support staff of family and friends to be all that supportive. For some reason, others will attempt to talk you out of an idea simply out of their own fears of seeing you fail and being overprotective. Some will also try and talk you out of a truly great idea specifically because they want you to fail. For whatever reason (as anyone can see in popular culture), people like to tear others down thinking it builds themselves up.
4. Recycle your idea. Once an idea is formally acted upon, it often generates new ideas and possible changes to the original idea. If you’ve kept a log of ideas, you can use the opportunity for review as a way to expand and grow that seed into a sapling…and then a tree.
When an idea is successfully acted upon with a proper plan and a strong desire to succeed, the problem of self-confidence and doubt will disappear. One other thing…don’t let partial failure represent the entire validity of the idea. Total success requires goal-setting, persistence, and patience. But the next truly great idea is waiting for someone to act on it.
That’s just one neat idea I had.
