As the Idea Lady, I know that coming up with a great idea is a wonderful feeling. Having a great idea is only the first step, though. Ideas are not worth anything until you put them into action.
Putting ideas into action is where many people stumble. They may be afraid to try something new, or confused about how to get started. Or they may think they do not have the skills or resources necessary to make their idea successful.
Here is a simple three step plan for going from idea to action:
Make a plan and write it down. A big project is less intimidating when you break it into a series of small steps. If you are not sure where to start, work backwards. For example, if your project is to create and sell a new product online, one of the last steps might be to make sales. What do you have to do before that? You need to have a sales page on a website, a way to accept payments and the product itself. What steps will you have to take to put those things in place? Keep working backwards until you reach the beginning.
If you are not sure what needs to be done, then your first step is to learn. Identify the resources available to teach you what you need to know or the people who can help you.
Put dates with each of the steps in your plan to keep yourself moving along.
Forget fear. Do not let fear stop you from getting started. Do not worry about what other people will think if you fail. Anyone who would criticize someone for trying and failing probably doesn’t have the nerve to try anything themselves, so forget about them. Besides, you are not going to fail. With your plan in place, you will succeed.
Start now, and keep going. Choose a task from your list and do it. Then another, then another. Take action every day, even if it is a small thing. Do not worry about choosing the “perfect” thing to do, or getting things just-so. There is a saying that, “The perfect is the enemy of the good enough.” It means that some people worry so much about making everything perfect that they end up not doing anything. Just do what you need to do and keep moving toward your goal.
Do not get discouraged if your progress slows or your lose ground. Just get back on track and start moving forward again.
Although having an idea can be exciting, seeing it come to fruition is incredibly satisfying. Take action to make your idea a success.
