As I sit staring at my computer, I am feeling both excitement and fear. I want to start a business. My own business that both provides an income for me and my children, but ALSO helps others...children specifically. I want to combine the profit world with the non-profit world.
I have this amazing idea that involves books. I have had a LOVE for books my whole life!!! The smell of the book, the feel of the crisp pages, the texture of the cover. A book has the power to take me to amazing places in my mind. I LOVE to read!!! For years, I had put off purchasing an eBook reader because I didn't want to feel like I was "cheating" on my "tangible" books. Fortunately, I have continued to read "tangible" books at the same time that I am now reading eBooks. If anything, having an eBook reader has afforded me the opportunity to read even more books, than I had been finding the time to do so during the last several years. I decided to purchase a cover for my eBook reader that looks like and reminds me of a book. (If only it had the smell...)
Perhaps that is why I have a mind that never seems to go to sleep. All of the possibilites in life; it's endless. And so much of my thoughts have come from the inspiration I continually receive from books, whether it be fiction, non-fiction, self-help, inspirational, educational, etc. Rarely, have I found a book that wasn't my friend. With each book I read, I feel like a new relationship has been formed between me and "another person."
Since I was a youth, I have had diaries and journals. I have written poetry and short stories. Over the years, I would imagine that someday I would become a "real" writer and become published. Last year, I joined the blog world as a place to start publicly putting my thoughts...perhaps testing the waters regarding what others would think about what I had to say and if it was worthy of publishing.
I am constantly having conversations in my mind (and sometimes out loud when no one is around) regarding what I would write about. I have even had story lines come to me, and I don't have anything to write it down on, so I voice record my thoughts with my iPhone. When these tidbits appear to me, they need to be remembered somehow, because I am usually not able to remember that "moment" 30 minutes later. By then, new information is streaming into my mind, and distractions from my kids have taken over my creative "mind space" and the tidbit is gone.
A few days ago, I was sharing with Son #1 my latest (and greatest) entrepreneurial idea I had. I told him about it and asked for his thoughts and feedback. Our conversation was eye-opening. At that moment I was remineded (again) how similar he and I think. We are "what if" and "why not" thinking kind of people. Just because something is done one way, doesn't mean it is the ONLY way, and there can't be any other way. If something isn't meeting our needs, how else can something be done? What can be created to meet our needs?
Over the years, I have come up with "inventions" - items to manufacture, ways to improve something, businesses that would fill a gap for a need I had and knew others had, etc., etc. But as soon as I would start telling others about my "brilliant" idea, nothing more would come of it. Finally, I got to a point where I was believing that by saying out loud what I wanted to do, was jinxing it. At some point, I actually thought it was God's way of teaching me to not talk so much. Hahaha
Recently, I read the following statement in a book called, "A Little Resource Guide To Making Money Online"-
Telling someone your goal, makes it less likely to happen. Peter M. Gollwitzer is a professor of psychology. His research (based on Lewinian goal theory and self-completion theory in general) has shown that telling someone your goal makes it less likely to happen. Once you tell someone your goal, you receive a false sense of accomplishment. Individuals gain an element of satisfaction when they tell people the goals they are planning. This satisfaction often leads to procrastination or the inevitable collapse of your goal. Stay motivated, and stay driven. There will be more satisfaction in showing someone what you have accomlished, versus telling them what you want to accomplish.
WOW! If that statement didn't put my life in a nutshell. It explained SO MUCH regarding why I start out so excited when I have a "great" idea, so motivated and focused, and then within 60-90 days the air is gone from my sail. My ideas would come to a halt. I had received the thrill of talking about my idea, and never received the thrill from accomplishing it. How many other people have this same experience as me? I know lots of people that could be labeled "all talk, but no action." Eeeek...Have I been that same kind of person, too, all these years???
So, no more talking about what I am "going" to do. I need to "JUST DO IT!" And once it is FINALLY done, THEN I can talk about it...and keep talking about it. If I really believe in my heart that my "idea" is a "million dollar" idea...then I need to bring my million dollar idea to life - first. Then, share it with others.
I am thinking that this "concept" could probably apply to so many other areas of my life...not just my entrepreneurial life. I need to talk less, and do more. In doing this, I imagine I will experience less often, feelings of failure and discouragement when things don't happen as I had hoped and planned.
I look forward to sharing with EVERYONE what I am doing...once it is done and complete. But until then, "SSHHHHH" is my magic word.
