Why ‘Too Many Creative Ideas’ May Not Be Your Problem

If you follow me on Facebook you probably know we’re moving across the country to Nova Scotia in a few weeks. In the process, I learned a lot about creative ideas and making them real. Every step of our journey taught me something about achieving a goal that seemed crazy at first glance.

Surprising Survey Results

Even while I was in the middle of selling one home and buying another, I took time to send out a survey to get to know you better.  I asked how you define yourself, what you see as your strengths, what you struggle with and much more. Thank you to everyone (and there were a lot of you!) who responded.

Over the next few posts I’ll write about the insights you shared but there was one connection that jumped off the page as I evaluated the results. It was a definite AHA moment for me and I believe it could be for you, as well.

Around 58% of you feel you are known for your knowledge and competence. That made sense to me because most of you (over 90%) are building a business based on who you are and what you are passionate about.

Over 65% defined yourselves as creative, out-of-the-box types but – and here’s where it got interesting – more than 90% of you are uncomfortable with taking a risk. On top of that only 4% felt that taking action was a strength.

There’s one thing I know for sure after years of coaching others and it’s this:  People struggle to take action when they’re uncomfortable and afraid of losing something.

Creative Ideas Feel Risky

And that’s the problem. Creative ideas and out-of-the-box thinking are innovative and new. Different from the normal. To most of us, being different feels like standing on a high wire without a safety net.

If something feels risky at first blush and you aren’t comfortable with risk, is it any wonder it’s hard to take action?

In addition, 78% of you shared that having too many ideas is a big problem for you. Ask yourself this: is it the number of ideas or the fact you never take one and at least explore the possibilities?

Maybe your muse keeps sending out ideas, hoping to get your attention. Ever been so passionate about what you’re doing that it has your total focus? Exactly.

It’s when we get stuck in inertia that everything begins to look risky.

Perception is Reality

Just like those great goose-bump inducing, creative ideas, we felt a spark of excitement when the idea of moving to Nova Scotia first came up. Of course, lots of folks had an opinion on why it was a crazy idea (including ourselves) but it wouldn’t let us go. We finally decided to take a closer look and see what we might gain or lose by moving.

That meant we needed more information so we could assess the risks and benefits with real facts, not just our personal opinions and hunches. We needed to know if our concerns and objections had any basis in fact.

We checked out the real estate market in southern Ontario to see if our solution lay closer to home. We inquired of the Google god  and spoke with folks who came from Nova Scotia. We subscribed to a daily news feed so we’d know what was happening down east. We even knew a couple who had moved a few weeks before and learned from their experiences.

In other words, we gathered enough information to make an informed decision that we would be comfortable with.

Before you say ‘no’ to your great idea or plan, you owe it to yourself to do the same.

[bctt tweet=”Before you abandon your great idea, figure out what’s really at risk. ” username=”AprilleJanes”]

It takes time to find out what’s really true

When you have a creative idea that excites you, you can’t afford to let untested objections (or someone else’s) keep you from exploring what’s possible. Do your homework. Investigate the risks you think stand in your way before deciding not to take action.

Are the risks real or perceived? Do you even have enough information to make that assessment? If not, where can you find it?

If it’s an idea that won’t let go of you, then invest the time. After all, you’ve got a lot to gain if your idea is as good as you feel it is.

Knowing the facts increases the comfort level

As far as our move to Nova Scotia went, we started the process at least 4 months before we actually bought our new home. Each step led us to the next. By the time we signed our offer to purchase, we were confident it was the right decision.

The same is true with your own creative, out-of-the-box idea. There will come a point where you must either commit 100% or walk away. Until that moment, you aren’t risking anything except time.