The First Few Steps

It starts with an idea. Guess that’s kind of obvious really. I’ve had so many over the years, but I can hang onto this one.
I suffer from what you might call delusions of grandeur. My inspiration for a novel, say, starts with a line, or a vague story and before I know it I’m in the realms of winning the Booker Prize and being photographed in cable knit sweaters looking moodily into the middle distance.
The same is true of many schemes and plots hatched in the small hours or nursing a drink. What sounds so good forming from the murky depths of thought gets easily withered in the harsh light of not so much reality, as expectation.
On top of that there is the growing self-realisation that the words of my grandfather — “the boy is a procrastinator” ring loud in my ears to this day. On my twitter bio, I label myself as a flaneur; and I am; preferring to dawdle and daydream as well as take the easy route of sensual pleasures. I am as Aesop would note the indolent grasshopper rather than the industrious ant.
But that said; there then comes the guilt; the nagging sensation of jobs left undone, promises unfulfilled. The sense of dipping a toe in the water, realising that the water is a pleasant place and cursing oneself for never learning, figuratively speaking, to swim.
My intent here is to set the scene as over coming blogs I hope to chart my journey from a man with a plan to an execution of that plan. A documented journey of exploration. Because, now I have an idea, that, it seems to my jaundiced eyes has survived the early glare of “meh” and now nags at me to be realised, an idea, and perhaps this is an early first lesson, that if survives the trauma of its inception can be forged into a reality. This blog will I hope document that journey into reality. More on what it actually is later.
So where to start? I doubt I started where I’m supposed to start. My initial thinking had been forming for a few months following my career break, but had lacked form or function. Reading Jarod Lanier’s book on technology one afternoon was the stereotypical scales falling from the eyes moment and if my birth analogy holds up, this was the moment the idea learned how to roll on to its tummy and start to crawl. This first breakthrough then encountered the wall of ignorance. The idea, tentative as it was, was bounded on all sides by the walls of ignorance. I realised that however much this idea would gnaw at me It wouldn’t progress without research; and so, I took to the library and the internet for further study.
This being me though there were also digressions along the way into more than just systematic research- forays into understanding the market place, diving into technology way too deep and way too early; the perils of enthusiasm unbound. One of the early lessons I have taken heed of is to rein that digressive nature in. I think it’s important to let curiosity roam but within a more disciplined framework — especially at this point. The germ of the concept is too fragile to take too much sidewind buffeting and needs a steady nutritious diet of thinking to let it grow. This time around I want it to grow, so I do spend time dedicated to thinking about it in this sort of way. I make time, deliberate time, carved out of a working day that has routines and family and social activity to stop and give it some dedicated thought. It is worth that. This blog is part of that — giving me a place to marshal my thoughts as the pace quickens and the wheels turn faster.
This is starting to edge into the other territory I am easily lost in — the realm of the entrepreneurial tipster, the self-help auteurs; with their Five Ways of this and Things Every Successful Entrepreneur does. Mornings in this world are bursts of meditation, fuel onboarding, cold baths and prayer. Or not. Purpose, Control, Optimism and a short acknowledgement of what it is you’re trying to do each day and why suffices. The rest is noise. I’ll never stop loving the approach and enthusiasm of the world’s Tim Ferrises. But for now; this is about me, and mine, and doing what works for me, not what everyone else is doing. That said; I’ve discovered some cool tips, some great tools and shortcuts to Getting Stuff Done. But when they’re all put away I still have to be happy in what I’m actually doing and why I’m doing it. And no tip, tool or trick in the world can make me knuckle down and do something, only I can. I’ve learned that the hard way.
As this concept I’ve been building has started to grow in these conditions, I have learned what I would state is my first lesson; and that’s not to ignore everything I’ve written previously.
My idea briefly, in abstract, concerns the use of software processes- namely Blockchain to help augment and safeguard the use of patient records; nothing too outré I know but the devil is in the detail.
And here I learned my first lesson. I’m lucky enough to have a close friend and confidante in whom over many long hours; fuelled by red wine and cigarettes (Yes, I KNOW. I’m not apologising!) I talked about this idea and various different parts of it and where it might go — giving at times full vent to my ability, as I wrote at the start of this blog, to daydream into speculative and, yes lucrative futures — and then it hit me. Over dinner one evening she started talking about how this solution could be used for x and y and I realised she didn’t understand it at all. What I am saying here (and have had to say repeatedly to her, for that kind of statement doesn’t tend to win you many second chances to explain) was that this is on me. I had been unable to articulate at its most basic level what I was trying to achieve. To someone who had taken the time to want to understand; and not as an investor or potential client. I had failed first time out. This is basic stuff. 101. This is my job. I have very few technical or project type skills. Getting from inception to product is largely going to be in the hands of others. The expertise of those I can encourage to help and support me will turn this into reality; Wherever I get to I will have got to with the love, support, advice, counsel and guidance of others. (which incidentally is a key tenet in the sorts of blogs I mention earlier) All I have is my idea. Its my job to be able to explain it; to show it off exactly as it is in my head, so those who can, can build it out, those who need to can critique and refine it with me, those who want it can understand why they might choose too. And I get that now. Back to my analogy; and my idea baby has started to be able to talk, albeit most of it doesn’t yet make sense. I had to get to a point of being able to grant this idea articulate speech. Quickly. And so that, for the last fortnight is what I’ve been trying to do.
This blog I hope will get to a place where I can share the journey of learning and exploration. Of taking my idea to the next stage and the stage beyond that. Of what I learn, of where I succeed and where I fail
I hope it is successful. I believe it will be.
The first comment I made on Medium was a response to a blog in which I quoted Richard Feynman “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool” I believe that I’ve fooled myself a great many times, and am the wiser perhaps for it. On this trip, I plan to stay through this medium and others as fool proof as I can.
I would of course welcome any questions, commentary and feedback. If you’re interested in getting involved mail us here. If you want to keep up with what we’re doing then follow us on Twitter here
Next week I’m meeting with a number of people I believe I can advise me to further refine how and what this all looks like, and where I’ll get to test if I’ve learned my first lesson, easily and assuredly demonstrating what my idea is and what it’s about.
I’ll report back then.
Thanks for reading.
BP
