I’m SO excited for this blog post. We are talking about one of my all-time favorite things…. ideas! More importantly, once you get one, what do you do with an idea? Keep reading for 3 tips and tricks to take your idea from a dream to reality.
If you are anything like me or most creatives, my head is constantly filled with ideas and dreams. But it’s what you do with those dreams that can actually move the needle on your business and life.
This is one of my favorite quotes: “A single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities.”
I believe in this quote so much! In fact, I have an entire office wall with quotes and dreams tacked up!
What Do You Do with an Idea? 3 Tips
As someone who has been a dreamer for decades, I’ve found there are 3 important things to consider when moving your idea from abstract to an actual reality.
1. Be Prepared for Naysayers
If you have naysayesr…and we ALL do, this tip is for you.
I quit my full-time teaching job to start my business. I had quite a few family members and friends who were concerned that I was making a bad choice and had no issue voicing those concerns to me.
It would have been really easy to crumble under pressure and keep it safe teaching at school. But I knew with my gut and my whole heart that I needed to make this change. I was prepared to take a stand for it, and if you are coming up with cool ideas, you’ll need to be ready too!
2. Don’t compare yourself.
I started painting at 15. I was bored and I asked my mom if I could paint a mural on my bedroom wall. Shockingly, she said yes -I totally thought she’d say no! I spent the entire year painting with toothbrushes and all kinds of fun things to create this giant Lion King wall. It wasn’t perfect (by far) but I absolutely loved it!
Sometimes we think if things don’t happen right now or this month, the dream or idea is dead…that’s not true at all. I went from being a bored teen and now, decades later, where my entire world is encompassed in painting and art!
You’re Never to Old to Make Your Ideas a Reality
If you are in your 60s or 70s, you may think the ship has sailed…but that’s not true! People routinely live well into their 90s-100+….so you have potentially decades left of life to live!
I don’t ever want you to make choices based on your age – I want you to decide your life based on your ideas and dreams!
3. Acting on a good idea is better than just having one
If you are anything like me, you may get a thousand ideas a week. I can’t stop them – they just keep coming! I keep paper next to my bed, or even write on my hands all the time.
But it’s an exercise in self-restraint to set aside the dreaming and start taking action. It doesn’t have to be complicated – you can set goals in 10 minutes or less.
You have to train your brain to problem solve. Instead of saying why your idea can’t work, think about how it actually can. Problem solve and problem solve until it gets better and better!
I love vision boards, goals, and dreaming…but you have to take action on them!
Here’s how you can make more time in your day to accomplish your goals and ideas.
Importance of Documenting Ideas
I am a HUGE advocate for keeping a journal and documenting your dreams and goals. Here’s why.
When I was 21, I moved to the beach with my husband. We were going through some old stuff and I found a project I had made in 6th grade that said “I will live by the beach someday”. I only vaguely remember writing it, but I had that dream in the back of my mind and it guided me to actually move!
I also wrote down once that my goal was to do a paint party at the Fort Worth Stock Yards…and I did it, y’all! Had i not written it down, I would have forgotten about my dream completely and not taken action on it.
Listen to What Do You Do with an Idea
Okay, you all have GOT to listen to this book! It’s amazing. It’s called What Do You Do with an Idea, and it’s written by Kobi Yamada. Truth be told, this is actually a children’s book but I got SO much encouragement out of this sweet story. I love it so much that I did a Facebook Live reading it!
I’d love to hear if you found this book as powerful as I did. Text me and let me know what you think!
More Posts to Read:
- Why Keeping Journals Is a Great Way to Plan Your Painting Designs
- Goal Setting: How To Set Your Goals in 10 Minutes or Less!
- How to Make More Time in Your Day to Accomplish Your Goals
