Each morning during the week, I walk/run for a couple of miles to get my blood flowing. It helps with my fitness, but that was not originally the point. The idea is to get my blood pumping and brain working. It’s been a great habit that helps me start my day on the right foot.
Not surprisingly, during my walk each morning, I get ideas. Some of these brainstorms are business ideas, some are messages I need to send, and some are content inspiration. Usually, I use Trello to make a note of the idea, then I keep moving. This is a great way for me to store the ideas so I can come back to them later.
As I have said before, the brain is a great place to come up with ideas…it’s not a great place to store them.
But I have noticed something about the ideas that I store away on Trello. The longer I let the idea sit, the cooler it becomes.
Let’s use the content as an example. I will often get an idea for a blog post on my walk. During that time, I think of the point I want to make, the opening to the blog, and the arguments I want to employ. I will have it, for the most part, thought out…and I am excited to write it. But if I don’t take the time to write that blog that day (or the next), my enthusiasm fades. The longer I wait, the less I remember the finer points of the argument. And of course, as my excitement (and memory) fades on the idea, the harder it is to write it.
So I never write it.
I currently have at least 10 ideas sitting on my Trello board that I am not sure I want to write anymore. The inspiration has left me a bit.
What I have learned is that I need to act on my ideas. I don’t have to act rashly…but I do need to act. Regardless of the idea, I need to take a step to push it forward. I don’t have to finish it. I just need to take the “next right step.”
So if you have an idea today that lights you up, do something that moves it forward. Don’t wait for that candle to die out. Move it toward the finish line…even if the step is so small that others can’t see it.
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