Jump on an Idea Quickly With These 5 Tips Great entrepreneurs don't catch lightning in a bottle and leave it on the table.
By Eric Schiffer Edited by Frances Dodds
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Have a great idea? Why aren't you already on it? Great entrepreneurs don't catch lightning in a bottle and leave it on the table.
If I'm going to partner with you, I want to see you roll -- now. Don't tell me you're waiting for a helicopter to drop your cash infusion before you shut off your Xbox. Get started now:
1. Take your brain off a cliff. Mind map a killer idea as soon as it arrives, in your own way. Imagine it quickly. Doing this will help you tap energy that gets you excited about completing it. Put it on paper to see how much cash you will lose by not being in the fight.
2. Incite your fire. Are you compulsive about staying in first place? Vaporizing a pile of debt? The more you grok what moves you to action, the easier to tap into it to form a plan that compels you.
Related: You Have Good Ideas -- Don't Let Them Disappear
3. Back into it. If you're creating a new product, list the steps it will take you to realize it in reverse order, until you hit the one you need to assault today. Working this way ensures control over your mission, so you stay wired.
4. Game your emotions. Cut up your goal into micro steps. Reward yourself when you blast through each one. Tell yourself, "I am moving one step closer to my goal and getting excited about it." Go further and form a negative association for not doing it.
For example, I have a buddy who runs a multimillion dollar sales organization. His garden is his way of getting peace. He stays away from planting until he hits certain goals, and when he is really successful he flies himself to Maui for a week to watch the sunsets and recharge his passion.
5. Give it 48. If you haven't put an idea in motion in 48 hours, it's dead. You're not interested. Scrap it and move onto something that ignites you.
