Ideas and Alibis

Ideas and alibis are very much alike. Everyone has plenty of both. Some are good, and some are bad. The big difference is that while no one has a problem using alibis, very few are willing to consistently act on their ideas (me included).

Excuses, Excuses

There are several reasons why people tend to pass on acting on their own ideas. Some of the major ones are fear of criticism, fear of failure, self-doubt, or the feeling that there is not enough time. Based on these reasons, we can come up with a multitude of alibis for not pursuing these ideas.

One that I commonly use is that the “time is not right”. I often tell myself that I should wait on acting on my ideas until sometime where the circumstances are better aligned for it. Sometime in the future when I have more of the knowledge necessary or where I have more time available to me; that’s when I’ll move forward on my ideas.

The fact though, is that postponing ideas quickly becomes a habit. The truth is, there will always be more research that could be done, and there will always be distractions that make us feel like we don’t have the time to act. Acting on an idea will always expose yourself to criticism, and there is always the chance that the idea will not be perceived as a success. If we keep waiting until the circumstances are “just right”, we’ll be putting that idea in a perpetual holding state, until either we decide not to act on it at all, or someone else has already beaten us to it.

Make Your Ideas Count

At least by acting on those ideas, we make them count for something. They may not be met with an extraordinary amount of success, and occasionally they may even be met with flat out failure (though I believe that if you really go after your idea with vigor, true failure will occur very infrequently). For each non-successful idea you have and pursue, that is one more lesson you’ve learned and one more step you’ve taken towards making your next idea meet with greater success.

The conclusion then, is that ideas were meant to be pursued, not postponed. Quit coming up with excuses and start moving forward on those ideas and goals that you’ve been putting off. If you never try any of them, it is a certainty that none of them will work out. By pursuing them, at least you give them the chance.