The Death of an Idea

The death of an idea is not always a bad thing. You most likely have at least 20 ideas that you strongly believe could succeed if you could only figure out how to implement them. Some of these do become a burden. You may even endlessly ruminate on your own unproven theories without stopping to realize that your theories may not be built on good ideas. If you evaluate objectively, you will start to find ways your idea could fail. Rather than giving in to the endless evaluation, you might consider that it is time to kill it.

 
If you are not able to invert thoughts towards thinking of ways these could succeed and how you'll best execute, kill the idea. I mean scratch it; delete it; overwrite it... just get over the death of an idea and move on. I have done this many times.
Your time is precious, so you better use it on ideas that have a chance at life. Hint: I apply this iteration method to just about any thought. It WORKS.

Form Ideas Without Trying to be Nostradamus


We all form ideas around how we can make or improve on things.  I probably have 200+ ideas for creating web applications on my list, some of which are new, unproven concepts. The cold truth is that we think too much about consequences when we form ideas. I call these the "What If's".
I am not saying that we shouldn't plan, contemplate, compare, analyze competition, or take time to be sure of what we're embarking on.
My point is simple: Doubt and uncertainty will always exist to some extent. The key is in training yourself to trust yourself more, follow your gut, and believe that every successful idea ever created started the same way -- as a simple thought. Unfortunately, most of us cannot predict the future, but we can decide where we want to go. In my case, I've decided I wanted to dedicate my life to working with computers, programming, technology, entrepreneurship, family life, ideas, helping people... Don't try to predict the future....when you form ideas, you can't be Nostradamus!

Think Less of these:
  • What if it doesn't work?
  • What if people don't like it?
  • What if I run out of money?
  • What if I'm completely alone?
  • What could happen?
  • What will it take?
  • What if others think I'm crazy?
Do more of this:
  • Gather feedback, good or bad.
  • Figure out how you'll explain your idea to others in less than 150 characters.
  • Decide what you want to pursue in life (or which ideas to execute).
  • Measure your passion about what you're doing.
  • Find out what's holding you up and overcome this (fear,past experiences of failure,innovation,perception or the What If's)
  • Trust yourself when you form ideas

Quitting Your Day Job Nuts?

This is not intended for us as a guide which could ultimately lead you to quit your day job and/or abandon your daily responsibilities. I'll try to explain my reasoning behind the decision to leave a very cool day job as an Information Technology professional where I really was pulling in enough money. Some would say that making the decision to quit your day job when it offers financial security is completely nuts.


 There are a few things to point out before we dive into story mode.....
  • I'm not a professional blogger (please bear with me).
  • I do like to write and share my experiences (good or bad).
  • I didn't have tons of money saved or ready to burn (enough to reset, I'll explain more).
  • I didn't have anybody suggesting I should quit my day job. (really...).
  • I had previously run a small business for 5-6 straight years (with both good and failures).
  • I like telling you about my story.  I think you'll get something good out of it.
I have to admit that through the years while operating a small consulting / web design office,  I became addicted to working on stuff I created, conceptualized, planted, built on so much that it' has become a part of me. Interestingly enough, I've found out that what I appreciated  the most about running the business was not the freedom or the money, it was the relationships I was able to build with people. I've come to realize, after being five years out on the entrepreneur wagon, those relationships are what I've missed the most ,and of course the building blocks part (custom web, systems, design, etc) which was the door or medium to start those relationships. You see, I was good at web design and computer consulting, but it was the passion behind it that made the business work and the relationships grow. I still use my passion. I may be nuts, but still, I  was able to quit my day job.  If you think you might be nuts to quit your day job, consider this: If you have that gut instinct -- that passion, you can make a go of your ideas without feeling that you have sacrificed too much.

Stop the idea frenzy!

A few days ago I found myself with thoughts in my head which where becoming more painful as time went by. I was generating so many ideas that I could not even track them all, let alone write them down before I had forgotten them. It bothered me that I was forgetting some of these almost instantly. Some of those I had forgotten, I had believed were very good (really bad concepts in reality).
Why was I worried about writing down ideas (good or bad)? I had even perfected idea note writing to multiple scenarios. I kept a piece of paper ready in my pocket, I had my mobile notes @evernote,  and even had photos of random pieces of paper I used to write down anything I liked to do -- after all, those ideas might just change the world... . I couldn't stop! I started reading books on how to stop this idea frenzy and start creating.
  • Why didn't I execute any of the ideas I had collected over the years?
  • Was it because of  previous failure?
  • Am I afraid to be successful?
  • Am I afraid of having too much success? Is there such thing?
After long nights without sleep an reading until words were blurring on the page, I learned that 100 ideas later (most of them really bad ones),  I WASN'T STARTING ANYTHING! Every thought I wrote down was pushing the success wagon farther away from me. Each new idea kept me from acting on the ideas I already had. How did I get out of the idea frenzy? After reading a handful of good books from "Making Ideas Happen" to those authored by Seth Godin , I noted that they all said the same thing: Just DO it! Start! Start! Start! This is what worked for me: I stopped the idea frenzy. I picked the three that made the most sense, scratched two, and executed one!! It is time to start something -- anything! Just move in one direction (forward) and have fun while you do it.