After announcing my new service yesterday, I was reminded of a sign I used to have on the wall above my desk. It simply said:
“If you get an idea that you believe has potential, do what’s required to make it work. You can’t afford untapped potential!”
Untapped potential
Another way to think of a good idea, is to see it as an opportunity. In order to benefit from the opportunity, we need to work the idea. This means committing to do what is required in order for it to work.
Some of the best ideas never get the chance to fly, as they remain just an idea. They are either not acted on or they are acted on half heartedly. They add to our banks of untapped potential. None of us can afford to leave our potential untapped.
You are an ideas person
You are a natural born problem solver. You generate ideas all the time. If you want to benefit from all that potential, commit to working your best ideas, until they fly or flop. Either way, you win.
- If the idea flies, that’s great.
- If the idea flops, take the learning from it and invest it in your next idea.
Are you an ideas person? Do you tend to put your ideas into action? Share your thoughts, tips or IDEAS with a comment.
I sometimes lack the confidence in my own big business ideas. Don’t know why but I just see it in my head failing then decide to leave it as it is.
I need better confidence Jim.
Hi Emil. If you see them failing in your mind before you start working on them, it’s not surprising that you leave them alone.
If you are leaving the ideas because you truly believe they are not good enough, that’s one thing. If you’re leaving them before you have given them a chance to work, that’s different.
Try one. Just a small idea – then build on it.
Let me know how you get on. Email me using the link on the right hand side of the blog.
Hey Jim,
My old boss use to tell us that if we want to be more successful we have to fail more often. I would ask him what it meant and he’d just say don’t be scared to try something.
Now I finally understand what he meant. Its those lessons we get from failure that makes us better equipped for the next win.
Thanks for making sense of it for me.
Holly X
Happy to help, Holly.
Your boss was also correct when he/she said not to be scared to try something. As they say, you miss 100% of the shots you never take.
Thanks for the feedack.
There are also cultural elements that prevent people from following up on their ideas. In asia failing is seen as failure of the person with the initial idea not as a learning experience.
Hey Niels. I grew up with an Asian community and saw many great entrepreneurs, who seem to have overcome fear of failure. Maybe my experience is different to yours. Thanks for the feedback.
Hello Jim,
This one resonated with me. My takeaway is that we only really fail, if we do nothing. There are lessons we can take from getting things wrong and wins we can enjoy when things go right.
Jackie
I wish I’d thought of that, Jackie!
Thanks for the feedback.
An idea should definitely be implemented if you think that it’ll give great results.
Absolutely, Rahul
Jim,
I’m a new reader and have a question for you. This is slightly off topic but here goes…
Where do you get those boxes you have inside your posts, with the words in them? I mean, like the one in this post that says An Amazing Idea?
Many thanks,
Joanna
I’m going to explain all in a future post and make lots of them available to readers, for free.
Watch this space, Joanna.
The secret is to never lose your passion for ideas. Keep trucking on until the one idea pays off.
That’s a good outlook, Neil. Thanks for the feedback.
Another great post Jim and good luck with your new business idea. I sometimes lose heart as it seems that I am spending my life looking for the one idea that will fly. I need to recharge so that I can come back flying.