Creative thinkers and entrepreneurial minds will often have many random thoughts rush in and out of their minds. Then, every so often, a thought or idea will come along and linger, knocking at their sense of imagination and driving curiosity of the potential to create positive change.
Frequently, instead of taking steps toward the goal, we shrink from the enormity of bringing the idea to fruition, and we stall. We get caught up in the reasons of “why not” or as I like to call them, “perceived obstacles.” This is a very damaging thought process if you wish to achieve success. There are only two questions that really need to be answered to get a good idea off the ground and they are “Why?” and “What am I willing to do?” Everything else is inconsequential—99.9 percent of all obstacles are perceived, and therefore are avoidable, capable of a work-around or defeatable.
If you find yourself battling a stall, take a few minutes to conduct an Impact Evaluation on your idea. Start your evaluation by defining the “why” behind your idea. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to help you decide if it’s worthy of taking to the next level.
The Why:
- What is the purpose behind your vision, idea or goal?
- What is the planned outcome?
- Will accomplishing your idea make the world a better place, you a better person, improve business efficiencies, or positively impact a group of people? If yes, who and how?
If answering these questions gets you even more excited about the outcome, then you’re likely on the right track and ready to move on to the “What am I willing to do?” portion of the evaluation. Building your “why” foundation creates the drive, passion and inspiration to propel you forward—it’s the fuel in your tank. If you struggle to find the answers, then maybe this is an idea that needs a little bit more time to form. Or perhaps the benefit simply isn’t there and you can chalk it up to creative thinking.
What Am I Willing to Do:
- Write down each of your perceived obstacles.
- Follow each perceived obstacle with a strategy to defeat it.
Determining what you’re willing to do and taking action is a critical step in achievement because you must act in order to meet your goals. You have to advance past the planning, thinking and goal setting on to steps toward accomplishment. You could likely think of a long list of reasons why you can’t move forward, but these should all be replaced with what you WILL do. Obstacles are only obstacles if you allow them to be. As the old saying goes, “where there is a will, there is a way.” It might mean waking up an hour earlier, adding another step to the process, starting in a different place, or getting more education. Whatever the required action may be, let perceived obstacles become a part of your strategic plan, not your stall tactic.
Use your “why” to power your vision and energize your actions, then take the first steps toward your dream. A series of continuous baby steps can create big success. Remember, all of our world’s greatest success stories started with an idea from a person just like you or me—accomplishment came from their willingness to do.
Stop just dreaming and start doing!
