Listening to Your Idea

Is there an idea brewing in your head? How long has it been there? Are you wondering what to do next?

For most of my adult life, I have worked with ideas. I love them. Whether as a TV producer or a programming executive, I have had the honor of carrying seeds to fruition. Some of them are blessed and come into the world with ease. Others don’t.

Some concepts never get off the ground, destined to spend eternity as a proposal. Others stall in the middle. Still others stop inches before the finish line. Where are you on this continuum?

When taking an idea from concept – air – to the marketplace – earth – there are many steps along the way. And there is no roadmap. But there are ways to harness the fire, swim through the water, focus the air, and cultivate the earth along the way to improve the likelihood that your idea will go from an electrical impulse in your brain to an actual product in the marketplace.

The first step always involves getting the idea out of your head and into a form that you can share with others, like a proposal. People often stall here, unsure exactly what the format should be. Don’t worry about the format! Just describe your idea and why you’re passionate about it. It can be one sentence. Then put it where you will see it everyday. Ideas will not call you up and set up a time to meet and flesh itself out. You have to be proactive. After you’ve articulated your idea, then what?

When you’re stuck, I have found it very valuable to listen.

Writing as if you are the idea is an interesting way to tune in. No matter how much you love your idea, it doesn’t mean you’re connected to it. This may mirror how you love in general. Letting go of one’s own agenda is an important first step. Writing with your non-dominant hand also is a way to explore. Begin with a simple statement affirming your idea, like “I am a children’s book about horses.” Then, see what happens next.

You can also ask your idea questions like, “What’s blocking you?” or “What needs to happen next to bring you into the marketplace” or “What other resources do you need to move forward?” Let the words flow on paper or into a tape recorder to discover some new answers.

As you do this, can you have no ambition? This may sound crazy because you probably want to make money from your idea. But put that aside for a moment so that you can see your idea clearly and be with its energy. This way, your idea can use you the way a fetus uses the resources of the mother to grow and be born.

You may be wondering how this will help you develop a business plan if that’s your next step. Well, the goal here is to get outside of your normal range of thinking and mine some new insights, especially if you are at a loss as to what to do next. Once this is done, new possibilities for action should reveal themselves to you. Concurrently, you still need to address issues like the competition, your market, and distribution possibilities, for example. But my intention is that these exercises give you a fresh way to look at how you relate to your idea. Then, you can address these types of business issues from a more solid place.

Good luck!

Susie Arnett

Idea Coach