We are entrepreneurs, we love a good idea. In fact we thrive on the energy of new ideas. It’s exciting. But, as ideas people we have to beware of “the shiny”. What do we mean by that? We mean we have to be careful not to get distracted by new and exciting things all the time. It can derail our path.
Now this doesn’t mean that we should never embrace new ideas. New ideas are possibilities. They change the world. As Einstein would say “the mind that opens to a new idea never returns to its original size.”
“Never make permanent decisions on temporary feelings.” ― Anon
So how do we manage ideas? How do we create an internal process to filter out the good ideas from those ideas that are going to quite frankly send you into a tailspin?
INTRODUCING THE 4 DAY RULE
Have you ever heard an idea and been completely blown away by it? You see stars, you see excitement, you see money. But then a few days later the idea doesn’t seem so exciting. You get swept away by passion in the moment only to find when your rational brain returns… mmmm perhaps this isn’t quite as good as it sounds.
Well, we have a tried and tested process for combating “the shiny”. We call it our 4 Day Rule. It’s really simple.
When you hear a good idea get excited, jump up and down, even throw a few fisty punches. Let the emotion take over. That’s part of the fun of being an entrepreneur.
But then stop and force yourself to sit on the idea for four days. Four days is enough time to allow your rational brain to kick in and analyse this idea to ensure it makes sense.
WHAT TO ASK YOURSELF WHEN YOUR RATIONAL BRAIN KICKS IN
- RELEVANCE. Always come back to your audience. Is this idea relevant to my audience. Will they care about it? Can they personally connect with the idea?
- PASSION. Am I passionate about this idea? Can I continue to be passionate about the idea?
- LONGEVITY. Does this idea have long term legs or is it a flash in the pan kinda thing?
- ALIGNMENT. Is this idea in alignment with the overall direction of my brand or is it a tangent alert? Will it actually support what I am currently doing? Will it create more value?
- MONEY. Does this idea feed the economic driver? Will it add to the bottom line in the long term? And do you have the resources now to get there?
WHAT NOW?
If after four days the idea still makes sense to you, and you have used the above evaluation process with a positive outcome, then we say go for it! Ideas can reinvigorate your business and your staff. They bring in an energy that helps shake away the cobwebs and keeps people motivated.
Now by introducing the 4 Day Rule we are not suggesting you take out the magic from decision making. We know that often the best decisions are made on gut feel, on immediate response, on listening to your inner voice. But what it does do is give us a safety net. We are merging the logic with the magic to get the best answer. Sometimes our intuition might be a little off, perhaps we haven’t been doing all the wonderful health practices to make sure our bodies are working at their best. (Stay tuned for that blog article coming up.) You know when your body is telling you that you need one more donut? Yep that ain’t your inner voice talking there, that is your crazy brain. We need to have a healthy body and mind for intuition to work well.
So give our little process a try and see how it works for you. We would love to hear what you think.
And on a last note, we would like to leave you with another of our favourites by Einstein, “For an idea that does not at first seem insane, there is no hope.”
Love,
Jodie + Em xx
