I don’t know about you guys, but here’s what seems to happen everytime i get a new *brilliant idea* for my biz.
- Brilliant idea occurs – something just clicks and I know it’s a cool thing to do in my biz (love those moments!)
- Brilliant idea simmers – there is this lovely space of “aaaaah” that I simmer in for a few days, letting the idea marinate and start to take shape
- Brilliant idea is shared – i share my idea with others, could be folks on my team, colleagues, etc
- Brilliant idea is doubted – i start to wonder then, is this such a brilliant idea? doubt starts to set in… “maybe my idea sucks, maybe i won’t be able to do it, not sure i have the time/money/energy to do it, folks might think it’s stupid… [insert your own brain chatter here]”
And depending on my response then step 5 is either: - Brilliant idea is brought to life OR Brilliant idea withers and dies
So what’s up with that pesky Step #4? See this process happens to me quite a bit in my business, and I find when I hit the doubt stage I either find a way through it or I don’t. As much as this stage can suck I do think it actually serves a pretty big purpose for me and my biz, namely:
- doubt forces me to take another look at my idea – maybe it wasn’t so brilliant after all. maybe the reason that the idea was brilliant last week no longer applies this week.
- doubt could be a “warrior” against the bright, shiny, object syndrome – as i start to plan for 2011 i’m seeing that there is ALOT of stuff i want to do, maybe too much? how much of that is BSO that may be taking me off my true course? always great to run ideas through the BSO detector (every entrepreneur should get one of those, LOL)
- doubt can be a form of self-sabotage – and for me is actually a way that I can easily stop myself from taking the next steps (especially when i’m doing something bigger or new.)
I read Gay Hendricks book The Big Leap a few months back and it was a light-bulf moment for me re: how we get in the way of our own success. He talks about how we all have an Upper Limit of how much positivity and success we can handle, and when we reach that limit we’ll do something to sabotage it. This can take the form of worry, criticism (of self & others), deflection and even getting sick at really inopportune times.
My big one is worry, which really is a form of doubt… I go down the road of “what ifs” and then my brilliant idea starts to turn ick on me. And if i’m not aware of what is happening then it can be really easy for me to get to the point of “forget it, let’s scrap this idea.”
The flip side of this of course is using doubt as a tool – when the doubts creep in it can actually mean that this is simply a big leap moment. If I remind myself of that I can shake off the doubts. In that case it’s time to take a deep breath and go for it… that’s not the time to run away (even if i want to. 😉
Just an idea I want to play with, Tina. In nature, seeds are numerous, they fall onto the ground, waiting in all their possibility. They may even get to be covered with soil, ready to sprout. Then the real journey for the seed begins: the struggle to emerge, to get resources to keep growing, to put out roots and establish itself firmly in the environment, and then to emerge from the ground and one day grow big and strong, sending forth seeds of its own.
What I’m saying is that not every seed is destined for fulfilment of its potential. There are many stages in the journey where it can withdraw. That is why there are so many. Don’t stress or feel guilt for the number of ideas left on the wayside. If an idea/seed shrivels back into non-being, that’s okay.
Relish this abundance of ideas, but avoid personally responsible for bringing each and every one to it’s full potential.
Good work, Tina. I love your style infront of the camera. Hugs to all!
love that Marlowe – because i’m such a “doer” by nature I do easily tend towards thinking I have to do something with every idea. Which in reality would be exhausting, LOL.
This reminds me as well re: the timing of certain things – i’ve definitely had ideas that took some time to sprout (sometimes years) before they were actually ready. Patience can come in handy here too right?
Oh – I am so completely there right now, but it’s more of a flickering. The light bulb keeps surging and dimming. Whether it explodes for benefit(or not) remains to be seen!
what is your idea Cheryl? If it’s something you want to share… I know sometimes getting it “out in the open” can help it come to light.
where can i order a BSO detector 🙂
we need to create one – LOL! I’m sure every entrepreneur could use it. 😉