Not sure about whether to follow-through on an idea? Fair enough, not every idea is follow-through worthy. Sometimes, things are just fun to think about, and that’s good enough.
As I described in my book, The Follow-Through Factor, for years I toyed with the idea of going into the catering business, or more to the point the cake business. In fact, given that I have the patience of a flea with ADD, I can’t really see myself following complex, precise recipes. And for all my good intentions, I’ve never managed to actually ice a cake, I sort of just fling tablespoons of cream on top of it.
So you can’t reinvent yourself to make an idea fit you. Think of ideas more like frames for your glasses. Some are fun, others are really attractive, but not necessarily the right look for you.
When do you know if the idea is one you want to wear? When if you don’t wear it, you’d always apologize to yourself, for yourself. When the idea alone makes you feel nostalgic for it– if you didn’t have it, you’d miss it, even before you work on it.
If someone said to you, “I guarantee you will never so much as try to start a cake company” does that make you feel sad? Not me. It doesn’t hit me hard, it doesn’t hit me at all.
If someone said to you, “I can guarantee you will never write another book, or never get to Chile” how does that make you feel? In my case, it feels like someone just turned off a light somewhere. And I really need to prove them wrong so I can switch it back on.
When giving up the idea is like saying goodbye to a really good friend, and you are just not prepared to do that…then you’ve got an idea that you need to follow-through on, no matter what.
thefollowthroughfactor 