Usha Maharaj shares some tips for making it big.
Ideas are like balloons, shiny, taut and beautiful until you keep them on a string for too long and allow them to turn into wrinkled, squishy trash.
You’re full of great ideas about work, life, family, relationships, wealth and health. Why not make this year different, epic in fact, by identifying your most valued ideas and giving them wings? The fact is: “All achievements, all earned riches have their beginning in an idea.” – Napoleon Hill.
Quotes are easy to access and are powerful motivators that trigger a reaction in the reader. The trick to getting the most out of a quote is to first find the ones that resonate with you.
Next, reflect on how the quote applies to your situation and last, read the quote often and allow the power of the words to encourage and push you to apply the wisdom. If you are tired of trashing your ideas and are serious about using them to improve your life, then the following quotes could help your ideas take flight.
“Vision without execution is a daydream. Execution without vision is a nightmare” – Japanese proverb.
Ideas are great, but ideas without vision will take you in meaningless directions. Start by listing all your ideas. Then, note how each will add value to an area of your life (to you, family, career, wealth, health, community, environment and so on). Next, rank the ideas based on the value they will deliver and select one to start working on. Write out a vision for the idea and use it to guide, inspire and keep you on track to take action.
“You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win and expect to win.” – Zig Ziglar Now that you have identified your top idea, the next step is to plan how to give it wings.
Planning is an investment in time that will keep you focused and on track through to the end goal. It will save you time, money and energy in that every step you take will be a considered utilisation of your resources rather than wasting time with trial and error.
Execution
“Hoping and dreaming will result in nothing. Executing against your skills is the road to success.” – Gary Vaynerchuk.
It’s true, you have a set of skills and talents that might not be unique to you. There are hundreds of thousands of people who have the same skills and talents as you. But the difference is they are not you. Your skills and talents combined with your personality, drive, enthusiasm and commitment is what will differentiate you from the dreamers.
Apply your skills and talents to cut the strings and free your ideas. “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” – Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.
If you have a brilliant idea but you are too busy to execute it, you are not alone. “I’m too busy” is one of the most commonly used excuses for a lack of action on brilliant ideas. The cure is to start small.
Every day ask yourself: “What one thing can I do today that will help me unlock this idea?” And then, no matter what happens, just make sure you complete that action. Start small and you’ll notice as the momentum grows, you will find the time to invest in the idea because every step you take will bring you that much closer to realising it.
“Everyone tells you how they are going to be special, but few do the work to get there. Do the work!” – Mark Cuban You are special, but the reality is that your ideas are worth nothing if you don’t execute them and if you do, they could change your life forever.
“You could have a million ideas, but they’re all worthless if you don’t get them done” – Lauren Amarante. Make this year epic, don’t allow your brilliant ideas to become even more wasted daydreams. Everything you need to turn them into reality is within you; just get started.
● Usha Maharaj CA(SA), certified brain-based coach, life-long learner and corporate veteran with more than 16 years’ field experience in a global Big Four audit firm, unveils the most common career pitfalls and shines a light on the tips and tools that differentiate the ordinary from the extraordinary, to help you achieve the success that you want and to help you be a better you. www.ushamaharaj.com https://www.facebook.com/ UshaMaharajPage/