I have been developing ideas my entire life. Early on, I created documentaries and TV series as a producer and now I work in the wellness industry where I design life-change experiences and services. I’ve also helped thousands of speakers and experts as a consultant and “Idea Coach” who helps people develop their ideas and grow their businesses from the inside out.
When you put your ideas out into the world, it’s one of the most empowering acts. It’s also a form of community service because it’s a way to share yourself with the world.
Isn’t that why we are all here — to contribute to society in our own, unique ways?
In the process, I’ve discovered the six most common ways that people who are developing ideas get stuck.
Let’s look at each one and what you can do about it right now.
I. “It has to be perfect, or I won’t do it.”
Image taken by the author and edited in Canva.
Perfectionism is a tough taskmaster. This is why I don’t do vision boards because, sometimes that final picture can stop us from taking our first steps.
If you really like cutting and gluing, I recommend making a vision board of where you are right now. Leave space on the board for the resources that you need and are calling into your life.
Perfectionism messes with you because it is so easy to justify the lack of progress with this idea that you are unwilling to settle.
There are many stories of exceptionally successful people likeOprah who are tyrannical about their vision. I do believe in visions. If you are in an active development process where you are making choices, each one needs to be in alignment with your ultimate vision.
It is essential to take even a messy and imperfect step because it puts you in a conversation with your customer, your market, and if you are spiritually inclined, the universe.
Your idea must come out of your head and become something other people can interact with, whether that’s a proposal or a prototype.
It is a form of idea biofeedback that is one of the most fun parts of the process. You get to be in a conversation with reality!
It’s good to understand your habits and if perfectionism is one of them, start looking around for those imperfect but necessary first steps.
How can you begin right now?
II. “I don’t know what to do.”
Image taken by the author and edited in Canva.
Confusionism is one of my favorites because it feels so valid. You don’t know what to do or how to do it. It sounds like an excellent reason not to do anything. But it is really just another defense.
The process can seem overwhelming and impossible if you are blinded by confusion. Like Perfectionism, Confusionism paralyzes you by the perception of a problem where none exists.
The sanskrit word for illusion is Maya. In the Indian culture, they believe that the world is a projection of your mind. In the world of neuroscience, there is a related concept. You don’t see with your eyes. You see with your brain.
The image in front of you is “seen” inside your occipital lobe at the back of your head.
Your state of mind is always your first filter, so what you see — what is possible and impossible — is Maya, a composite of light and shadows and your history.
Remember this and consider that if you can make up a problem, you can also make up a solution.
Anytime you find yourself thinking or saying the words, “I don’t know,” or “I’m not sure,” or “What am I supposed to do?” follow it up immediately with the words “I’m going to find out.”
III. “I don’t have what I need to do this.”
Image taken by the author and edited in Canva.
“I don’t have the resources” is another common block. Some people don’t have time, others don’t have money. For some people, they have neither time nor money.
When I was pregnant with my second, I was exhausted and could only keep down strawberry ice cream. I had no time or money, but I put together and sold my first book.
It wasn’t because I was more capable than anyone else but because I was committed to doing it and willing to be on a learning curve.
I had a partner for the book, which helped, because when you are strapped for time, money, or free waking hours, a partner without children is great.
If you really want it, you will make time. Look at Wallace Stevens, one of the great American poets. He worked all day at an insurance company in Hartford, Connecticut and then came home at night and wrote beautiful poetry.
Even after winning the Pulitzer Prize and being offered a position at Harvard, his alma mater, he declined, not wanting to leave his day job.
He could have said, “I don’t have the time, I’m tired.” No, he wrote when he could and the world became a richer place.
This question of time is not a question of resources but rather a question of priorities.
Write down all the steps you need to do on a piece of paper and what’s stopping you. Then, brainstorm solutions.
Access different aspects of your brain by drawing some answers. Paint your list. Right the list in the air with your toes. Use your non-dominant hand.
Break up your thinking habits by how you physically do the process. Your body is an excellent ally for your creativity.
IV. “I can’t do anything until s/he is done.”
Image taken by the author and edited in Canva.
Finger-pointing is a great excuse when you are tired and want to hand off the work and responsibility to someone else.
The problem is that it can slow the process down to a crawl, and you only have yourself to blame.
Ideas typically involve other people at some point. The process becomes more complicated when you have to manage yourself and negotiate with others.
Sometimes, these others can derail us. Who you choose to partner with on your idea is as crucial as who you choose to date or marry.
Walt Disney said you should never hire cute bunny people people to draw monsters, and you should never hire monster people to draw cute bunnies.
First, you have to be really clear in your own mind as to what the job is. This is your idea. You are in charge.
What responsibilities are outside of your expertise or outside of your interest? Then, of course, does the person match you in terms of commitment and work ethic?
Like so many questions in this process, there is no clear answer. There is only your process for getting to what is true and right for you. If you look into your past, have you chosen well? Why or why not?
Al Joy, one of the most astounding astrologers I have ever known, put people into two categories. He believed that some people are like fire. They constantly need to be fed wood. Someone must get the giant, heavy bellows and pump the air to keep them going.
Others are like electricity that you can turn on. Is the person you consider bringing to your project like fire or electricity?
V. “This is stupid and will never work so never mind.”
Image taken by the author and edited in Canva.
There’s a great line from poet, Mary Oliver, where she writes, “I’m not ready but I’m willing.” This willingness is critical.
We can’t all have the hyper confidence of Steve Jobs although I imagine there were moments when even he doubted his ideas.
Can you keep going when you’re being pushed back by the 100-mile-per-hour winds of your own doubt?
Again, we’re looking at the blocks that stop us. It is a big one for a lot of people. Even writing this article, I thought, “Who gives a shit!”
But I know I must keep going through the valleys of the process because at the least, I committed myself to finishing this.
A big part of this is rejection. Not that people will reject the idea, but that they will reject you.
As we all know, this fear can stop us in our tracks.
I have seen how moving on a physical level through intensity can translate powerfully into our mental lives.
Act out yourself selling your idea. Imagine picking up the book you’ve sold and flipping through the pages. Bring your body into the process.
Using your imagination like a child, you can bring your idea to life for your body and for your mind.
VI. “I have too many ideas, and don’t know which one to do.”
Image taken by the author and edited in Canva.
I hear this a lot. “I have so many ideas that I don’t know where to begin! I love them all but I don’t know which one to choose.”
There’s something about having a lot of ideas that can feel good, like you’re special in some way or that you’ve already accomplished something meaningful.
It is a kissing cousin to the guy who says when watching a commercial for a new product, “I had that idea five years ago. I told you that was a good idea!”
Being able to say that makes him feel smart and fulfilled, so he’s happy to watch TV for the rest of the night. But I imagine you are different. You want to accomplish something. How do you choose?
Having a lot of ideas is a great thing. Do you have an idea journal? Maybe you have a lot of them, and they are scattered around your house, car, or purse?
Unless you have a large staff or a lot of money to spend on your ideas, you will have to make a choice. It can be tricky, though. Which one?
If you cannot choose, you could always write each on a slip of paper and pull one out of a hat. If this feels too random, you could do some research. Budget each idea.
Look at the first 6–12 months of the development cycle for each idea. What will each cost? Give your money the best chance to yield a return.
In Conclusion
There are internal and the external elements in the world of idea development.
The interior elements are your psychology, physiology, energy level, the pressures and demands on you, and your history.
Then, there is the external world that your idea will live in. There is the marketplace, the competition, distribution pipelines, the costs of the materials to make your idea, and the resources you need, like other people, time, and money.
There are lots of books about the external world. Until your internal world is “all in,” and you work through your blocks, your idea will remain in your mind.
See the games you are playing with yourself that keep you stuck and move forward.
One last story. Arthur Golden wrote “Memoirs of a Geisha” three times. He wrote an entire draft of the book, and then, not completely satisfied, he started again at page one and wrote the entire book again.
Then, not completely satisfied with the second version, he started at page one and wrote the entire book again for the third time.
I believe the entire process took him six years. Finally, he felt pleased enough to send it out. It is a work of art.
How far will you take your idea? How far do you take anything in your life?
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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.
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