Start your stupid idea - and figure it out along the way.
You’ll make mistakes. You’ll connect with people. You’ll get challenged in your way of thinking, and you’ll grow.
Are you interested in writing? Set up a blog and start writing. Not sure what to write about or publish? Make a list of topics that you'd like to talk about and act as though you are talking to that one person who asked you a question. Interested in starting a business? Set up a DBA or an LLC and learn as you go.
There are many reasons people give as to why they haven’t started their idea.
Why you haven't started your stupid idea:
There’s no one to support you or believe in you. (More about this in another post.)
You don’t know where to start.
You’re afraid of failure.
You’re not sure of which direction to take.
You’re worried about other people’s opinions.
You know that starting isn’t the hard part—keeping the momentum is what’s difficult.
It’s hard to start that stupid idea because you’re thinking of what your content should be about. You’re wondering who your target audience is, and asking if anyone is going to notice.
Story time!
Although I never knew exactly what it would be, I’ve always wanted to have a business of my own. I always found ways to hustle in high school, be it bus tickets provided by the school, or hustling the students during holidays like Valentine’s Day. I would give my lunch hour up and ask for permission to use the digital camera, just to photograph the students and make my own backdrops. As a child, the one thing I knew for sure was that I wouldn’t dread my work, and I wouldn’t work in a cubicle. Granted, at the moment, my desk is in one, but it’s not closed off. I also have my personal art hanging from the walls; words of affirmation, beautiful artwork, and snacks that no one can resist.
Ok, Keshna, but can you share how you started your stupid idea?
Oh, sure! I thought you’d never ask.
I started blogging because someone suggested it. I didn’t know what to write about exactly, and I couldn’t find anyone else on the internet who was documenting their journey to becoming a professional designer of any kind—specifically, industrial designers, which was what I was looking into. So I figured that I would take my thoughts of becoming an industrial designer and write them out loud. One thing for sure is that it’s challenging and competitive to get into a great company, and part of me didn’t believe that I’d get in. At the time I was blogging, I was working retail for an accessories store. I figured that I could make my own accessories, and I started to make a few. I sold very few pieces because I didn’t have an audience. No one knew what I was doing, just that I had jewelry to sell. That failed. From there I stumbled across other blogs that were talking about finances, design and business, so I decided that I’d document a journey to starting a design studio. Now, I work for a packaging design company.
This past year was a journey filled with figuring out what I had to offer, what I had to say, and ways to improve my writing. Of all my ideas, this was the best; I’m investing not only in myself and my future, but I’m also helping others along the way.
But, Keshna, you’re telling me to start my stupid idea—is my idea really that stupid?
Probably not, but your ideas are worthless.
Josh Steimle, contributor of forbes.com states, "An idea only has value when combined with proper implementation, which includes the right team in place to perform the implementation."
Here’s the truth: no one is going to care. Your friends and family may be the first ones to support you, because they are your family. Along the way, you may find that the direction you were headed toward wasn’t what you wanted to do. And that’s okay. It’s more than okay. By discovering everything you don’t want to do, you are that much closer to finding out what you’d love to do.
So this year, I challenge you to start your stupid idea. Who knows? Your idea may not even be that stupid. There are fifteen more days left in the year what will you be starting?
Related articles: http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshsteimle/2013/09/01/why-great-ideas-are-worthless/, http://youngyetwise.com/the-pros-and-cons-of-starting-your-stupid-idea/