#387 – What makes you give up on your ideas?

You have a brilliant idea to make something that'll change your life. You tell all your friends and send out a newsletter. It seems real.

And suddenly, "rationality" appears: that's never going to work.

If you, like me, have experienced this, you know. That moment when that fabulous castle you'd built in your mind comes crumbling down. How could've I been so naive? This was never going to work.

Your Ghost of Idea Deflection (GoID) sighs with relief: crisis: averted, it tells its boss, your Ego. Your Ego rubs its hands, oh, good! Back to business, now––to keep you small.

Of course things can never work if they stay in your mind. You need to put pen to paper, so to speak.

The reason why the GoID is so effective is that it shows up before you can even grab a pen. Like someone's job at the mall in Christmas was to pop every balloon before it reached the kid's sticky hand.

To know if your idea deserves the trash can or the white board:

First, bypass the GoID. It only exists to stop you. So, every time it shows up, you can thank it for trying to help and say, "No worries, I'll find out more about my idea."

Second, take your idea to the whiteboard––you can always trash it later.

If/when the GoID shows up, remind it, "no worries, I'm just finding out more."

Third, if you choose to materialize your idea, start today and go all in.

If it's writing a book, write your first sentence. If it's training for a marathon, run for five minutes. If it's leaving your marriage, have the conversation.

The key: don't hide in preparation, because the GoID will find you there.

What idea will you protect from the GoID's deft pin so you can explore it fully?

Love,

Carolina