Most of us keep waiting for the Big Epiphany. You know what I mean. We want to wake up one day and finally have the Big Idea that will bust it all loose. An idea for a business, a book, or our life’s work.  

In the meantime, we’re impatient, frustrated and feel like we’re biding time. Nothing is happening. Or maybe something IS happening.  

Check out Steven Johnson’s TED talk, “Where Good Ideas Come From” to see how Epiphanies happen http://www.ted.com/talks/steven_johnson_where_good_ideas_come_from.html

Today I crossed the Bay Bridge (not the least bit phobic about that) to browse at the El Cerrito Recycling Center. A tidy, neat oasis for where the discarded become the found.

My goal was to gather magazines to help me develop a collage for my right-brained business plan. While there I realize that I was not only repurposing the magazines but very much repurposing myself.

Just between you and me, this was one of those days when the path I choose of creating my own business seemed questionable. The modern-day “dumpster diving” I did today was actually exciting and fun. The spirit of discovery and of the unknown was life-affirming, not frightening. With each magazine tossed in the bin, I felt that I was taking concrete steps toward living a live as BIG as I had hoped for. No turning back now. I will just have to life through the cycle of change with its inherent ups and downs.

And then I ended the day by experiencing a tree – yes, I am now a tree-hugger. I highly recommend it. What a way to recharge my spirit so that I can weather the cycle.

I guess as an entrepreneur my job is to make sure that I crunch the number, do the planning, etc. But also on my “to do” list is to make sure that I feed my soul, make my heart sing – that is fuel for the journey.

A Love Letter to Idea Junkies

Dear Entrepreneur/Aspiring Entrepreneur,

I may not have met you before, but I know a lot about you.  You are my people.  I love your passion, creativity and scrappiness to get it done.

But the thing that I love most about you is that you are an Idea Machine.  Come on, don’t be modest.  You know it’s true.  Is there a week that you don’t have a new idea? They come to you in the shower, at a restaurant, in the car, or over drinks (oh wine, you inspired the ancient Greek and Roman philosophers and you still do the trick today).

Ideas are intoxicating.  They are your oxygen. Each new hit sweeps you up into a vision of what could be.  You imagine what it would be like to….

Create something of your own
Do things your way
Make an impact
Feel like your gifts were being used
Have financial freedom
Be challenged
Be surrounded by interesting people
Do interesting things

Oh the high… Each idea is like falling in love all over again.  Face it, you’re addicted to the high.  Whoa there, don’t get defensive.  I don’t mean it in a bad way.  I just worry about you.  Sure, some of the ideas work, but most of them don’t.  It’s not always your fault.  Business is complicated.  Bad timing, the wrong partners, lack of momentum, the distraction of your day job or an even better idea for a venture.

Each time one of your ideas doesn’t work, I see how it fans the flames of fear.  You don’t trust yourself like you used to. Your confidence isn’t what it used to be. Where is that cocky “I can do anything” attitude that you used to have?

People ask you about your business and you’re embarrassed to tell them that it didn’t work out. You have stopped telling people about your ideas because you’re tired of feeling like you never stick with anything.  The false starts and dead-ends have taken their toll.  Like someone with a broken heart, you don’t trust as completely or leap quite so blindly.  The fears, doubts and what-ifs are louder than they used to be.

I never finish anything.  
I will never be able to create a successful business.
I get to a point and I quit.  
I don’t think I care enough about one thing to stick with it.
This is going to end up just like the other 3 ventures I started.
Maybe I’m just not cut out to be an entrepreneur.  
I don’t know if I have the energy to do this.
I don’t have the ____(fill in the blank: discipline/vision/right people/knowledge, credentials, guts) to really make this happen.

The fears rumble around in your head, finding evidence to prove their validity, until one day you give up and tell yourself that you’ll never truly succeed.

Can I give you some advice?  Stop chasing the new at the cost of you. How many times have you been enticed by the new?  It didn’t matter what it was, who was involved or what you were doing, you were ready for a new adventure.  

“Is there a problem with that?” you say.

It’s a problem when you sink your time, energy and money into something that you’re not that into. It’s like marrying someone who you think it just ok.   But, but…what about the experience, the connections, the learnings and the potential pay-out?  I hear you, but can you really fake it that long?  Can you continue to trudge along not really caring about the product, doing a job that you don’t like or being bored?

What if the real reason why ideas don’t stick is because they’re not truly aligned with who we are and what matters most to us?  How likely are you to be successful if it’s a great idea, but one that you honestly don’t care much about?

My friend, I hate to see you doubting yourself.  I know you can do this.  One last parting piece of advice.

You will create something successful if you follow this one simple (but not easy) concept.

Know thyself.  

Stop looking for answers “out there.”  Books, magazines, advice from friends, family, mentors and experts about what is hot.  Conflicting opinions about what you should do.  It’s overwhelming, exhausting and won’t get us any closer to our life’s work unless…

Unless you take a step-back and tune in to the only one who really has the answers – you.  Before you create the business of our dreams, you have to silence the outside world long enough to really listen to your own truths.  

What am I passionate about?
What am I meant to do?
What do I wish I had more of in my life?
What am I good at?
What is my definition of success?

Once you start to see how amazing and unique you are, maybe you won’t be so willing to give away your talents to any old venture.  Maybe you’ll only choose ones that feed you, that make you stronger and that make use of your fabulousness.  

Don’t let anyone dim the light of your creativity, least of all you.  

Starla

I have noticed a pattern in my posts – I am big on animal imagery. Maybe I am searching for my familiar or maybe it is that I am yet another human more comfortable with making analogies between the animal and human spheres than diving right into the mess that makes up my world. Whatever. I like animals and an animal that I am liking (and appreciating) more and more these days is the crow.

My fascination started several months ago when walking the dog at the beach. I spied an older man walking laboriously but being followed by what seem like a “rat pack” of crow admirers. This curious sight set me off to do some research. Crows are SMART – too smart for their contained and limited lives. What to do with that big brain of theirs?

Crows recognize different humans and can tell “good” ones from “bad” ones and then are sure to alert their fellow crows which ones are to be avoided -- and which ones embraced. Obviously they had embraced that older gent and enjoyed hanging out with him. That is no surprise once you get to know more about crows. Their intelligence, use of language and cooperative culture (they raise their young for extended periods of time and as part of a community effort) is a subject of study. 

Of course, crows have a bad rap: being too smart for their own good, being black (and all that implies to some), and being associated with death because they eat carrion. Whatever. Their acceptance of death only makes them more fascinating to me because humans shun facing the reality of death even though we know that without it, there would be no life. The best thing about crows is that they shine, burning brighter than most birds. And quite frankly, they don’t care what you think; they have other things to deal with of greater importance.

WISE bird: I have to remember that as a woman taking on the world of business, I too might find people who don’t like me because I am  smart, the wrong color and though I don’t eat the dead, I might be a bit on the unconventional side. How do I shrug off all the naysayers and use what I have to my advantage? In this task to be true to myself, many beacons will guide me, including this quote:

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” - Dr. Seuss

Well said, and by the way, I do like green eggs and ham. :)

Shine on crow. Forget the naysayers. Remind us of who we are.

This week was a bad week. I can’t hide it and don’t want to – my commitment to transparency and what not. I got sick and then pulled the covers over my head. Hey, not long ago I took a leap of faith and so what’s a little crisis of faith?

Then I decided to persist by ignore those nasty voices in my head, stay in the present and turn to wonder- I am a happy simpleton again. Sounds easy but trust me, it was not because I was paralyzed by fear. I needed help from a friend and in this case, found solace and support though an unconventional source: the free Kindle app. That then led me to a not so unusual source of inspiration: a book, Do the Work! by Steven Pressfield.

Do the work! is about the myriad of ways in which, when on the path to accomplishing something important to us, WE let out busy brains boss us around, resist our muse and find ways to get in our own way. Though directed at writers, the thoughts expressed by the author speak to and will resonate with anyone working on a project who finds himself not working on that project.

The author outlines, “resistance’s greatest hit” and to no surprise, it includes: “The launch of any entrepreneurial venture or enterprise, for profit or otherwise.” Pressfield then gives us advice on how to move from resistance to its opposite: assistance. Want to learn more? I won’t spoil your fun of exploring his book. Download it for free here, and find out more about the author's work on his website.

But I will say this. What I found most valuable – and I admit that this is hard to share – is that it gives me permission to be stupid. Yes, to stop thinking so much and to just ACT with the innocence of a child or the blind faith of a madman – choose your role model. I call mine my “inner idiot.” And in claiming my inner idiot, I find that fear has dissipated and I can say that I even feel happy, imagine that. Makes me think of the Nirvana song Dumb:

“The day is done and I'm havin' fun

I think I'm dumb

Maybe just happy”

 La, la, la, now here’s my new tune: I will PERSERVERE.

 Not such a bad week after all.