Your Ideas Are Valuable
Ideas are the most vulnerable at the moment you have them.
This is a counterintuitive idea, maybe. When you have a good idea, the tendency is to run around and let everyone know how brilliant you are, that you have this cool idea and you’re so excited, etc.
What happens when you do that is you will find two responses:
- Those who agree with you and will tell you how smart you are. They feed your ego and I’m not gonna lie, it feels good. You run around seeking validation from outside of you and this can become a vicious cycle because, guess what? You spend so much time seeking validation that nothing actually gets done!!!
- The other response is that people will tell you your idea is stupid! You will always be able to find people that will shoot holes into your idea, why it won’t work, and how many people are already doing it with a bigger audience than you, etc. Discouraging remarks may derail you. Or, worse yet – you’ll waste time defending your idea, which can become exhausting.
There are very few people you should allow into your inner circle, those who will offer their helpful comments and support. Read “Believing Eyes” to see what I mean.
My friend Ben is a personal trainer. He’s tough and we have some serious goals together. He’s very clear of his role in our relationship. The other day, I texted him, telling him how busy I was and that I was sorry I didn’t make it to the gym.
He shot me back an email that really made me laugh, just at a time when I needed a chuckle.
So, I wrote him back – “You made my day!”
He wrote me back #donotcare #makeyourownday, #yournotdone, #getyourshittogether
It threw me off a little, but then I really respected that message. He was telling me. Don’t come to me with your excuses, asking me to sign off on how busy you are. You get to make your priorities. Back to the point – you are responsible!
Quote for the day:
Deepak Chopra mantra: “Please help me to release the need to defend my point of view.”
Shields up – Seth Godin
Do not tell your friends about your nascent idea, your notion, the area you hope to explore next.
Do not seek reassurance from them.
Do not become vulnerable about your tiny new sprout of an inkling.
It will be extinguished by people who mean well. They are trying to protect you from heartache.
There is a very, very tiny group of fellow travelers who can amplify your inkling. For the rest, keep it quiet. Trot out a make-believe idea instead, a pretend Potemkin Village of a project, let them dump all over that one instead.
Keep the other one in the incubator for now. There will be plenty of time for sharing later.
