Ideas. Conversations. Action.

Everything we see starts with an idea or a thought that flickers through the mind. Many ideas are dead on arrival as we ignore them, make an instant judgement that it won’t work or we don’t pay enough attention for them to settle in our minds.

Ideas that make it past this first stage can still be forgotten because of procrastination, laziness, excuses, fear and ignorance. These ideas keep coming back but we find reasons to ignore them. The more we ignore them, the easier it becomes to ignore them until they stop coming.

For ideas to progress, we must have conversations about them. We can share the idea with people of like minds or run it past people we respect. At this stage, we should look at the ‘why’ of the idea.

Why is it a good idea? What problems will it solve? How will it make things better if we follow through? We can look at feasibility of the ideas, putting them through a series of thought processes and testing.

When we get past this stage, the ideas should spur us into actions. Any great ideas that don’t result in actions are wasted. Some ideas are life transforming but no lives will be transformed unless actions are taken.

I had a chance to reflect on these three words this week. As we start the second half of the year, this is a great time to ask the questions:

• What ideas have I had in the past 6 months?
• What conversations have I had about the ideas and who with?
• What actions have I taken following those conversations?

In the past six months some of the ideas that crossed my mind have been about new initiatives, stopping some ongoing ones and resuscitating previously dead ones.

Some ideas were time-bound and needed to be acted on immediately while others needed to be worked through over time.

The first half of 2020 has been like no other. Being stuck at home due to the lockdown has created a breeding ground – for boredom and frustrations or for new ideas, deeper and more meaningful relationships and new ways of doing life and work.

Every great invention that we celebrate today started as an idea that was followed through. Great ideas are still floating around looking for people to connect with. Problems are calling out to be solved by those who care enough.

Much has been outside our control in the first half of 2020 but the ball is in our court to take back some of that control in the second half.

It starts with three simple decisions:

Pay Attention

Pay attention to the ideas that you’ve had or that you will have over the next days and weeks. Make a decision to write them down even if you don’t know when or if you will do anything about them. This will keep the ideas at the forefront of your mind.

Apply The 24 Hour Rule

This is a rule I made up. Talk about your idea with someone within 24 hours. You are more likely to be enthusiastic and passionate about the idea at this stage.

Also speaking it out makes it more real, alive and you’re more likely to follow through. So move it from an unseen thought in your mind, through written words on paper to spoken words that carry life and power.

Take Action

Every action we take or don’t take is a decision we’ve made. So make a conscious decision to take an action. Your action could be to explore the ideas further, speak to experts about it, or even to pass the idea on to someone who might be able to do something about it.

My first book, ‘Flying High In A Polka Dot Dress’ was because a work colleague gave me the idea. I let it sit for a while before having the conversations with my siblings. I eventually took the actions that resulted in the published book. This process took almost two years.

In the past month, I had an idea to create a motivational line of accessories. This was connected to a dream I had carried for decades. But from the idea coming back to me to implementation was about two to three weeks. This time around, I had no time to waste. Check them out on https://bit.ly/PurposefulMe

Six months is plenty of time so what will you make happen by the end of the year?

Thank you for reading and sharing my post with others. Please share your thoughts and comments.