When it comes to turning your ideas into reality, how much progress are you making?
Are you a talker or a doer?
Keep reading this three-part series if you want to turn thoughts into actions and your wildest dreams into reality.
How do I choose which ideas to implement with limited resources? aka Time & Money
Truth #1: You will always have more ideas than you can possibly implement with the resources you have. Period.
Making peace with this truth has freed me up to grow faster.
Why? Because it’s the abundance of ideas that keeps us stuck as entrepreneurs.
The constant moving from one idea to another idea…
The multi-tasking we try to do to accomplish 10 things at once…
The “it’s never good enough to launch” syndrome because we ALWAYS have yet another idea for how to make it better…
Planning is just as much about what you are choosing NOT to do as identifying what you WILL do.
You have to park ideas to the side that aren’t relevant to achieving your chief priority, now.
It’s not always easy identifying what our top priority is. If any of you are like me, there are so many things that captivate your interest and fill your life with passion.
Personally, It was hard at times staying focused on the path that I ultimately wanted my agency to grow in, but one day, I had to literally stop everything and regain clarity on how I wanted to utilize my resources.
I thought to myself, If I was only allowed to do business for the next seven days, what would I want to spend my time doing and who would I want to spend my time helping?
This short revelation gave me clarity beyond words. I was able to cut through the noise and focus on what was essential to my growth as a businesses owner.
Much of what we think is essential, is not.
For example, if you want to launch an online course this coming year, having a website, blog or weekly newsletter is not a priority. Creating the content for your course and connecting with others in your industry to help promote and distribute it is.
Once you’ve come to this realization, you’re then able to focus your resources, aka your time and money, on actions that will get you closer to your goal.
Don’t chase your goals. Define them.
Truth #2: Your idea will always have “more parts” to it than you imagine. Some Assembly Required
Everyone loves IKEA. Are we talking facts, or facts here?
Everything you’ll need for the beautiful furniture they show you on the box comes in the box.
Simple, right?
Well, what if I told you that turning your ideas into reality is EXACTLY like the beautiful IKEA boxes arriving at your doorstep?
Because of the charming floor display in the store, and the vibrant images on the box, some may even be tempted to buy TWO pieces of furniture. Even I, living in a modest apartment, have been guilty of the fatal IKEA sin.
Now, two packages show up on your doorstep, both easy to assemble – in theory. Shouldn’t be too bad, right?
Clear some space in the living room. Grab some snacks. Do you a few quick squats, a deep breath and it’s time to open your box.
You open the first box for your new double wide mahogany bookshelf and 84 pieces of plywood and 792 screws fall out at once with a manual that loosely resembles English.
Still no big deal, right?
Your stomach churns as you look at the other box holding your eight compartment filing, multi-leveled, rising, office desk.
With patience, persistence and possibly an extra pair of hands, you could assemble both boxes, but it takes considerable effort and resources.
Ideas are the same way.
Take Time to Focus
As curious entrepreneurs, we’re easily captivated by new ideas and ventures. On the outside, looking at the ‘box’, it seems quick and easy to throw together, but when you take the time to unravel it, there are many more pieces to it than you think. It’s complicated, time-consuming, but ultimately worth it if you’re able to give 100% of your effort.
Oprah Winfrey has a quote that we love here at My Clone “You can have it all. Just not all at once.”
With whatever your business or idea is, taking the time to outline the steps needed for success then reserving enough time to get each done is critical to your planning. Most entrepreneurs don’t take the time to identify the steps (or don’t know the steps) which prevents them from implementing and turning your ideas into reality.
Pick what you’re passionate about. Learn all you can about it. Work on it, then keep working on it.
Truth #3: Building a system around a few well-chosen moves is all you need to take a massive leap. Spoiler Alert: There Are No Secrets
Want to know a big secret?
A huge secret that the gurus won’t tell you?
There isn’t a course or scheme that can get you closer to what you want.
The secret to turning your dreams into reality is discipline.
Discipline isn’t exactly a sexy word, but there’s a reason why discipline comes before success in the dictionary.
It’s the same thing in real life.
Conclusion
If you can never stop to actually achieve the small goals you set for yourself, how do you expect to find the wild success you go to bed dreaming about every night?
You have to trust the process. Put intentional, consistent focus into the right things.
Having the right plan simplifies your life and helps turn your ideas into reality.
It eliminates all the unnecessary distractions and frees up time and space to work on what matters.
Having the right plan and truly sticking to it frees up your time physically and clears space mentally. A lot of what stops a lot of entrepreneurs from greatness is mental clutter and anxiety.
Free your self by having a sound plan, then reward yourself by sticking to your plan.
Carry on, friends.
