We’ve all had great ideas that we never acted upon. We get caught up. Life happens. What might have been? What could still be?
What if you decide you have to do this (not that you just want to) and you take action right away?
What if you set a must complete by date for it? (I don’t like deadlines. Who wants to die?) Then, work out what you have to do each day in order to get it done by that date?
Instead of letting another week, month, or year go by dreaming about it, what if you created positive pressure on yourself to get it done?
Maybe you could create a situation that brings out the best in you. Kind of like what happened to my friend, Mike Montague.
Mike had an outline for a book about how to really make LinkedIn work for you – not just how to set up your profile and endorse people. He pitched the idea to his boss.
His boss was concerned LinkedIn might not want Mike to use its name in the title and on the cover of the book.
Good News: LinkedIn said it was looking for someone to write exactly what Mike was working on. The company gave permission for its name and logo to be used. The book was a go.
Bad News: Mike’s company and LinkedIn wanted the book done in six weeks. Mike hadn’t actually started writing the book. He had only written the outline.
More Bad News: If Mike didn’t get it done in six weeks, he would not look good. It would hurt his credibility and his career.
Good News: The must complete date was now set for him – six weeks. The fear of not getting it done was a huge motivation for Mike to get crack-a-lackin!
Of course, Mike got it written in time. It’s amazing what you can do when you are seriously motivated and you have a must complete date. (You can download LinkedIn The Sandler Way for free by clicking here.)
Why wait for life to create a must complete date for your next great idea?
Why not set up positive pressure on yourself by setting your own date? Why not focus on all the positives that will come with it and all the positive feelings and enjoyment you will get from the moment you start the process of achieving your goal? Why not announce it publicly and get friends to hold you accountable? Why not start now?
Action steps – The next time you get an idea:
1) Take action immediately to get it started.
2) Set a must complete by date.
3) Set up what you must do each day in order to meet that date.
4) Announce it publicly and get an accountability partner to check your progress each week.
5) When you win, pop open a Doritos bag, a cold one of your choice and celebrate! (Um, maybe the Doritos thing is just for me. Sorry.)
Questions for comments: What great idea have you failed to act upon? Why not do it now? When did you use positive pressure on yourself to meet a goal? How did it work?
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that I view as rude, snarky, mean or off-topic. Hey, this is to support each other and have fun! Let's Go!