Could You Be an IDEApreneur?

I don't often reference my IDEApreneur work here because I focus primarily on Tongue Fu!, POP!, Got Your Attention? and Talking on Eggshells in my LinkedIn posts.

However, THIS is the book where I share all my lessons-learned for how to turn ideas into income and make a good living from your mind.

If you want to create a Katherine Graham career, ("To do what you love and feel that it matters, how could anything be more fun,") this book shows you how.

It outlines everything from how to tell if you've got a commercially-viable idea, to how to turn your idea into one-of-a-kind blogs and books, to how to develop a business and proprietary methodology around your idea so you get paid to speak, coach and consult on it.

If you're looking for a step-by-step process on how to get paid to do meaningful work that lights you up, this will expedite that.

This week is the anniversary of IDEApreneur's publication.

As a way of celebrating, here's an excerpt from the chapter, IDEAS IN YOUR HEAD HELP NO ONE which begins with Henry Van Dyke's quote, "The woods would be quiet if no bird sang but the one that sang best."

"We’ve talked about how you can increase your creativity, develop marketable ideas and monetize them through a variety of business activities.

Now, let’s talk about developing a philosophy that governs and guides how you operate.

If you commit to practicing character in commerce, you can have the best of all worlds.

As you build your IDEApreneur career, make sure your offerings benefit others as much as they benefit you. If you do, you create a type of corporate karma in which your customers become word-of-mouth ambassadors who voluntarily recommend you to others because you can always be trusted to deliver win-win, tangible value.

If the premise in the above paragraphs resonates with you, it's time to act on your idea instead of giving in to the “Who am I?” doubts that plague many people with a dream.

As the saying goes, “All the wrong people have inferiority complexes.”

Are you feeling a bit insecure about your idea?

Or, maybe it’s not you who’s second-guessing your creative venture. Maybe you have people around you saying, “This will never work!” or “You’re crazy!”

The next time anyone (including you) starts questioning whether you should pursue your dream, please remember Jana Wolff’s story. Jana was thinking about attending our very first Maui Writers Conference, but admitted she was having second thoughts.

“I’m a little intimidated,” she confessed. “I’m not sure I belong there.”

“Why are you having doubts?” I asked.

“I keep thinking, ‘Who am I to write a book? Who am I to tell people how to raise a child? It’s like I’m putting myself up on a pedestal and saying, ‘I know and you don’t, and I’m going to tell you how to do it.’ That’s just not me,” she sighed.

I told Jana, “The question to ask isn’t, ‘Am I perfect?’ If that were the criteria for writing a book, no one would ever write one. What would happen if composers said, ‘Why write a song about love, it’s already been done?’

The question to ask is, ‘Will people reading my book benefit?’

If your ideas will educate, enlighten, entertain, or inspire others; then not only do you have the right to write. . . you have a responsibility to write.”

Jana’s eyebrows went up. “I never thought of it that way. You’re right. Every time I dwell on my doubts, my confidence wilts. A soon as I switch to focusing on whether someone might benefit from reading this, my confidence comes back.”

Want good news? Jana finished her book Secret Thoughts of an Adoptive Mother, and told the story of how she and her husband had adopted a child and it was more challenging than anticipated.

She went to the library and bookstore to try to find resources to help, but couldn’t find anything that talked honestly about the ups and downs of raising an adopted child.

For example, Jana had the courage to tell about the time they were having dinner and her two-year old son picked up a hand full of spaghetti and threw it in her face.

Her shocked reaction, “My son would never have done that” filled her with shame. She couldn’t believe such a thought had even occurred to her.

As a result of daring to share what it’s really like to be an adoptive parent (warts and all), Jana has received heartfelt thanks from thousands of people around the world who say, “Thank you for letting me know I’m not the only who has thought that, done that. Thank you for letting me know I’m not alone.”

What’s this mean for you?

You can’t make a difference for people with ideas you’re going to develop – books you’re going to write – businesses you’re going to start – presentations you’re going to give - creative projects you're going to launch.

Getting your ideas out of your mind and into the hearts, heads and hands of people who have an opportunity to benefit from them is a way to give back.

Being an IDEApreneur is a way to share what you’ve learned in the hopes it might save others trial-and-terror learning and might make their life a bit better.

Next time you start dwelling on “Who am I?” doubts, remember Mae Sarton’s inspiring words, “There is only one deprivation – and that is not be able to give one’s gift.”

Do you have have an idea that keeps coming back to you?

That means you have an idea that wants to be born.

It's time to stop procrastinating and start activating.

It's time to get clear that acting on an idea that could add value for all involved comes from service not arrogance,.

It's time to get your idea out of your head and into the world where it can set up a ripple effect that is a pebble in the pond of your legacy."

P.S. I'd like to add something to that excerpt. Of all the epiphanies shared in my SOMEDAY is Not a Day in the Week book, this is the one people tell me finally motivated them to take action on a long-delayed goal...

If it's not on the calendar, it's not getting done."

Look ahead to how good it will feel a year from now to have kick-started your Katherine Graham career. Imagine how good it will feel to be your own boss and to have a fulfilling, purposeful IKIGAI (Japanese for "a reason to get up in the morning.")

Get out your calendar right now and schedule when you will take your first step to turning your idea into reality. I promise, you will never regret pursuing your IDEApreneur dream, you'll only regret not doing it... sooner.