Taking an idea from nothing and making it into a “thing” is not for the weak of heart. It takes courage, a lot of moxie, and a little bit of luck to pull it off.
About two years ago, an audacious, beautiful idea started buzzing around my head. In the middle of conversations, it would distract me. As I fell asleep at night, it would nudge me. No matter what I did to ignore it, it wouldn’t go away.
The truth is, I sat on my idea for a long time because I was afraid. My fear convinced me that my idea was impossible to achieve.
But, fortunately, it turns out that my love of my idea was stronger than my fear of it.
So, in spite of the knot in my stomach, I took one step toward it. Then another. And another.
And something magical happened.
With each step, my fear diminished. As I moved closer to making my idea a reality I became more courageous and willing to take bigger risks until the day I walked out on stage to launch the first Women Igniting Change™ conference, an event to spark a movement to enrich the lives of women around the world.
Why am I sharing this story? Because I know how scary it can feel to consider taking a vision and making it a reality.
I also know for certain that you, too, can elevate your budding ideas to the next level.
You can either decide to take one small step every day toward your goal, or you can allow fear and doubt to keep you wishing, waiting, and wondering, “What if?”
My dream was to launch a global movement that will unleash the contribution of women and honor women who have ignited change in the world. That movement has begun. What’s that burning idea inside of you? You know the one. The one you’ve dismissed because you didn’t think there was a way to make it happen.
I believe that idea you keep pushing aside is there for a reason. You owe it to yourself and the world to take it seriously. After working for months on my idea and talking to hundreds of women with ideas of their own, one thing is clear: Anything — and I mean anything — is possible. All it takes is a bold first step.
Here are my top three to-do tips to help you take your first step:
Lesson 1: Do it scared.
Whatever you dare can become a reality — even if it’s something that’s bigger than you think you can handle. I believe ideas and inspiration are given to those of us who have the ability to bring them into the world. But, it begins with a belief in yourself and the willingness to feel the fear but to take action in spite of it.
The truth is, fear never goes away. You learn to work around it, and you decide that you will no longer allow it to run your life. You can’t wait until the fear is gone to feel confident. To feel confident, you have to take one bold step forward. Then another.
Tweet: Whatever you dare can become reality — even if it’s something bigger than you think you can handle.Lesson 2: Do it with support.
You don’t have to build it alone. When you dream of making your idea something real, enlist the help of people you trust to help. Connect with experts, coaches, assistants, or groups. Create a team of ambassadors or a committee who believe in your vision and each take part in making it happen.
When I translated my vision into a plan, I gathered a village of supporters to help me build momentum. They were the ones I relied on to steer me straight with fresh ideas, inspiration, and encouragement whenever challenges took me off course
Lesson 3: Do your homework.
After I decided to take my Women Igniting Change™ idea seriously, I took the time to do my homework, dive into research and ask questions. Creating something from nothing requires a vision, goals, and planning. That’s why you must do the foundational work first. Spend time putting together the vision of what you want, map out the timeline, and reverse engineer it into action steps.
The most important thing you can do is to commit to taking one step forward. But you can’t wait to feel brave before you take action. You have to take the action first and bravery will follow.
Keep your vision on the horizon and re-decide every morning to keep walking. Setting an intention helps you dream, but taking action is where the rubber meets the road.
Ready to declare those ideas out loud?
Download our Women Igniting Change™ Manifesto and join an ignited community of like-minded women ready to change the world. Then join us at our 2017 Women Igniting Change™ events in Albany, NY and Atlanta, GA. Email us at info@ignitethenext.com for more information.
Leave a Reply