Why you need to get started now
Every one of us has ideas we like to imagine will be big if we acted on them. Ideas we love to sit on. Daydreaming about how amazing it would be if one of those ideas were acted on.
I know you have them. I have them, everyone I’ve ever talked to has them too. You know the ones. “If only I actually dedicated myself to this I’d be rich!” Or “You know who needs “x?” Everyone! It’s a gold mine!”
The probabilities of any of these ideas being actual gold mines is extremely low. But the chances of them being a worthwhile endeavor which potentially leads to something bigger than you have right now are very attractive.
Why don’t we act on these ideas we are so confident are amazing though?
Because it isn’t easy to actually act on them.
Fantasizing is easy. Daydreaming is easy. Acting is not. Fully developing the idea and then executing on that plan is remarkably hard. It isn’t impossible, but it certainly isn’t something you can just go out and do.
Fear is a real obstacle in everything we face. Especially new things. From personal experience though… I can tell you that what you fear is exactly what you must do.
You probably have an idea for a business, or a topic for a podcast, book or other media outlet that you truly believe in. But you are paralyzed by fear.
Where do I start? How do I even know if this is the right move for me? I’ve never done this before… and various other thoughts probably race through your anxious mind each time that you try to sit down and seriously start working on your idea.
If your idea is something that is just kind of sitting in the back of your mind then you’re fine just daydreaming about it… But, if your idea is something that constantly keeps you up, that you continuously want to explore… then you need to act now.
Regardless of your experience in the subject, regardless on your resources, no matter how daunting a task.
Act now
Why? I’m only 25 yet have over 10 years of ideas that I let sit in my head. I did nothing about them except daydream. Sometimes I would study from business textbooks or Coursera and disguise it as “preparation.” It didn’t do sh*t. My fears and excuses actually multiplied because now I was “ready” so failure would seem even worse.
I just barely got around to acting. I can see now what starting just 2 years ago and continually failing would’ve gotten me… something a lot better than what I have right now. I would either have a working business, or a lot of streets experience.
Acting can do the same for you.
I’m not saying you should act recklessly and blindly though. I am saying that you need to act deliberately on your idea.
This doesn’t mean just get started building a website, buying equipment or other assets. It means do what you need to validate the idea.
I’ve heard about and seen so many people going too fast and crashing down even faster.
You need to get in the car and drive toward your destination, not speed out of control on your way there.
What does action look like?
Research, real life experimentation, involvement with people in the market/audience you intend to get into.
Talk to people about your idea, especially those who could benefit from it. Offer to help them, develop your idea in a small and un-scalable fashion. Be very involved and observant. Are people seeking what you intend to offer? Are you enjoying what you are doing enough to do it consistently for a long unrewarding period of time until you eventually get to the good part? (Which is not exclusively “good”)…
Do you have an idea for a business that revolves around teaching people the wonders of quinoa? Offer your inner circles recipes for free. Show them the benefits and get them talking about you. Observe and document the results.
Acting is a choice. The choice to be patient, humble, willing to learn, and the acceptance that no matter how much you prepare it will never be enough.
You must learn as you go. Like a scientist.
Develop a theory, “If I offer enough good recipes on quinoa people will pay for a cookbook around this ingredient!” Or “If I can effectively communicate the health benefits of quinoa people will eat more!”
Then offer these recipes and information. For free. Your payment here will be the lessons you learn.
You could find out that people care to learn a lot more about the uses of quinoa than the health benefits. You could find out that the people interested in what you offer are already knowledgeable in quinoa and are looking for new ways to consume it.
Or… you could learn many different things I can’t even think of right now.
The point is, action doesn’t have complicated, expensive or time consuming. Action simply requires that you take your idea and do something with it. Like researching about it, validating, planning (and then executing)…
Whatever you do, do not sit still and daydream. Act.
You do not need to quit your day job, leave your family or stop sleeping. What you need to sacrifice is some of that Netflix time. It is very possible to build something special with two hours a day while you still have other major responsibilities to juggle around.
Act. Learn as you go. Your only objective is to get something out there and act on the feedback. There is no better way to know what to do.
If anything, it will be a fun, enriching experience. You might not walk out a millionaire, but you will walk out with new knowledge, more toughness (every failure will help build you up) and the experience to make the next idea better.
Don’t wait… Act now.
