I hope you’ve been reading our book of the month—The Impact Equation by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. No matter where you are in your business, personal, or spiritual journey, the truths in this book will make you stop and think. The subtitle keeps echoing in my mind: Are you making things happen or just making noise?
It’s easy to just do something; but it’s much more difficult to do something that matters. It requires us to understand more about who we are and the impact we want to have on the present and future generations.
The authors of the book point out something we know to be true—you can’t know if an idea is good or bad until after the idea has been brought to life. Many great ideas were initially met with opposition. People told Elvis Presley that he shouldn’t sing. Walt Disney was criticized for not being creative. Apple once fired Steve Jobs.
When faced with opposition we get to choose our response. We can agree or disagree. If we agree with the criticism, we’ll place our ideas on a shelf of what-ifs. If we disagree, we’ll keep pressing on.
So, how can you create better ideas? Here are a few suggestions:
- Surround yourself with a support system that looks for the positive in all areas of life. You have probably been around plenty of people who look for the negative. Your core group of friends should love you enough to see your potential and express their thoughts or concerns in constructive ways.
- Create your own system for evaluating ideas. Brogan and Smith outline seven questions you should ask about your ideas:
- What is the goal of the idea?
- How does this idea fit my existing framework?
- How much work does this idea add to my life?
- What will it take to accomplish this idea?
- What additional resources do I need to make this idea work?
- How will I know whether to keep going or quit?
- When will I be done?
- Let making an impact be far more important than making money or becoming famous? Many people do something, post it online, and become overnight sensations. However, their second attempt to replicate that experience usually fails. Why? With their initial idea, they weren’t trying to be famous. The second attempt, however, began with that goal.
- Invest in other people. Whether through a mastermind group, online community, or weekly meeting at a local coffee shop, you should look for opportunities to support others in their attempts to develop ideas. In contributing to the welfare of others, you will often find your best ideas.
I believe we all were created with the potential for making a huge impact on our world. Whenever we try to do something that challenges people to view life differently, we will be met with opposition. Don’t let doubt derail your ideas. Keep moving forward!
Live on purpose,
Aaron Walker
