For me it’s via writing. When I don’t find a quiet place to plug in my ear buds and write, I start to get irritable and edgy. Perhaps, it started as an outlet for all the ideas flying around in my head but now it’s the time when I convert thoughts and ideas into actionable plans. Plans that can be utilized to move my personal and professional life forward.
Honesty
One day this week was not one of my best. I was agitated and managed to annoy and irritate those closest to me. I think most of us have those days. Yet, here I am today taking a short break to write a few blog posts I’ve been thinking about. I feel the stress and angst draining from my body as I convert the raw thoughts into ideas that can help me move my life forward. That’s more than an outlet or therapy. As I look back, all my recent success can be traced to what I’ve taken the time to convert to words and share on this blog or in other communities like Third Tribe Marketing and Kitchen Table Companies.
How it Works
Throughout the day, random ides pop into my head. I try to not judge the ideas as good or bad; at least not yet. Instead, I ask myself if the idea is interesting enough to write about. If the answer is yes, then I capture the idea somewhere. My three favorite places to capture ideas are; Post-It notes, a moleskine notebook or a sticky note app I have on my Android phone. I like to think of all my captured ideas like a bank account. The more ideas in the bank account, the better my life is theoretically going to be. It’s kind of like money if things were equal.
Then, when I find time like I have today, I just search my saved ideas for ones that fit with what is going on in my business and personal life. I’ve learned from the feedback you the readers provide that a post that includes stories and examples of what is going on in my life are far more useful. I’m happy to share that writing in one of the places all my excess energy goes. This isn’t where all the extra energy has always gone. For now, let’s just say the other places proved to be more destructive than constructive to a productive future.
Saving for a rainy day
When you think about it, saving up ideas is a lot like saving up money. I save money so I can pay for things I know (and don’t know) will happen in the future. These items inlcude children’s educations, new cars, new windows for the house or even a refrigerator that dies on a Saturday evening when you have a big party planned for Sunday. Ideas are the same and, with more in my account, I don’t have to worry about producing daily blog posts. I probably have enough ideas right now to write for a year. I’m not kidding. If you don’t have it now, imagine having enough money in the bank to live for a year. That’s how I feel about this blog and my life.