DREAM…….Part 2 of 3 In Reference To My “Being Whimsical….” Post

To DREAM…

“OK, so I write down some Ideas…. then I am to Dream about them?  RU crazy?  How can any of this possibly lead to a practical Business Plan?”

Funny you should ask; thank you.  Here is your answer….

I see you have some interesting concepts written down in your Idea Book.  From these Ideas, determine which ones seem most promising to pursue right now and keep the others filed away for another time.  You should now have 2 or 3 Ideas to focus further on.  The important thing here is to have more than 1, but not so many that it gets too complicated or distracting as we now examine this next… very important stage.  DREAM.

To Dream is to envision.  Using the Idea “Short List” you now have, I want you to truly envision these 2 or 3 Ideas in their state of completion.  These Ideas can be new products, a new service, or a greatly improved process.  Dream of these as being offered in a business.  Timeframe can be 3 months from now or 3 years from now.  The business could be your own or a business that you work for.  That’s up to you.  Some live for the entrepreneurial rush, while others enjoy the perceived safety net of working within an existing company.  This is a separate topic and of little relevance here.

I want you to truly see the Idea being complete and in the market place.  Now, please write down responses/thoughts for each of these points:

– How is this Idea being perceived by the intended customer….  Do they understand it and the intended benefits of this product, service, or process

– Is the customer purchasing it….  Has it created quite a stir, where everyone “just has to have it”

– Is it at an ideal price point where it is achievable for the customer, yet profitable to you

– How was it created…. in what manor was it designed, manufactured… where and by whom

– What is required to create it….  raw materials, existed or new technology, certain skills that perhaps you alone do not have, equipment used to create it

Now let’s stop the “reverse envisionment” right there because we all know what would be next on the list… “capitol required and where that would come from”.  That will be dealt with more in the 3rd stage; PLAN.  After all…… we are Dreaming here !!!

At this point, please also take note of the natural progression that has taken place.  In a sense we have somewhat transitioned from “Whimsical” to “Practical”.  And this was not by accident.  Being “whimsical” starts the fire.  Being “practical” keeps the fire burning… feeds the fire.  The question you need to ask yourself right here with each of these 2 or 3 Ideas is:   IS THE FIRE BURNING???   At this stage some ideas will just simply be smoldering, perhaps burnt out, and others will be a wild inferno.  Be truthful to yourself and devote your efforts to the inferno.

In closing, it is important to state that while all 3 stages are vitally important.  This Dream stage is the most critical.  It automatically forces you to look at the Idea in honesty and take the journey from whimsical to practical.  The Dream stage will take some time to navigate and do not rush it.  Navigate it with focus, honesty, and efficiency.  Be thorough.  Your desired clarity lies just ahead.

Until we meet again in the 3rd and final stage, “PLAN”…..  I wish you Happy Dreaming !!!!

IDEA Part 1 of 3 in reference to My “Being Whimsical…” Post

   The IDEA.

At times ideas seem to pop into your mind out of the blue.  Some may seem unrealistic, others seem painfully obvious solutions to common day issues.  And still others might be too far fetched, or perhaps before their time.

Regardless, of your initial opinions of these ideas; PLEASE….. write them down.  Each and every one of them; in PEN INK.  After the physical act of writing some of these down, you may feel that particular idea is just too “out there” to even waste any more thought on.  Do not erase it, ever.  Guess what?  I have learned from experience that these very ideas are usually the ones with the most potential and promise.  Do not be so hard on yourself and too early to judge.  Keep every idea you’ve written down.  It may be 2 or 3, perhaps even dozens of them.  But do yourself a very big favour and keep them.  What may seem absolutely impossible or just plain crazy right now, may be entirely possible and very much needed 2, 3, or 5 years down the road.  Have a special binder or note book where you keep these ideas and guard it with your life, hahaha.

You may be saying to yourself….”I don’t think of many ideas.”  Possibly true, but YOU can fix this situation.

Learn how to truly OBSERVE.  Pay attention in life.  Things are happening all around you on a daily basis that could and should spark some interesting ideas.  Learn how to slow your practical thoughts down, and crank up the whimsical ones at times.  To be practical all of the time is, well… not very logical.  Mr. Spock always fought against his whimsical thought process.  You are not a computer.  You are a person, with emotion.  Emotions greatly influence “thought”.  Use your emotions and make a special point to exercise your mind daily to truly OBSERVE.  Observation is an exceptionally strong tool.  Use it.  Take time on a daily basis to “think”.  Do nothing but sit there for a few minutes and ponder, recognize…..discover.  Discover an IDEA.

I will soon post 2 of 3 in this series on Whimsical Thinking….   That post will deal with the “Dream” stage.  To “dream”, is to envision.   Stayed tuned.

Personal Insight from Dan Kenney

OBSERVATION           I believe Observation is probably the strongest tool one can posses; if you truly know how to use it.  These are not words from some self help book or website…  but valuable insight I’d like to share, directly coming from me…….  because I have truly “observed” Once you train your mind to truly “observe” the data you will gather over time is priceless.  It’s important to understand that to OBSERVE is not simply to see, or to watch…. but to truly soak in every detail and be able to reference this in your mind as similar tasks, obstacles or opportunities present themselves. I’ve been strengthening my skill of Observation for almost 20 years now, even taking notes along the way.  I really didn’t know why I realized observation was so powerful.  But I always knew I was learning for a reason…. just didn’t really understand what that reason was or would be.  I do understand now Over this time I have seen many positive scenarios come up, as well as many “not so good” ones as I’ve been on different job tasks, positions and relations.  To observe is to recognize such scenarios and have the ability to also record what the outcome was, good or bad.  “How did this certain decision effect the people directly involved, the work being done, and/or the company overall?”  Remember that scenario whether the outcome is good or bad.  You will learn from either and both. Now I bring up an important point….. “hind-sight”.  This term is always used sarcastically or jokingly, such as “hind-sight is 20/20”.  It’s mocked because it seems easy to critique a certain scenario after the fact.  I find great value in “hind-sight” because I use it as a tool, a lesson.  Say for instance a scenario you’ve observed resulted in a very negative outcome.  Ask yourself, if you were the actual decision maker there…. how would you have done it differently?  It’s also very important to note, at which time throughout this scenario would the most critical decision need to be made.  Every project, good or bad has a “pivot point”.  I define this as the point in which any project can take a turn for the good or the bad.  In the beginning, almost every project worth working on has the ability somehow to come out positively.  Observation provides you with factual data to aid in decisions along the way. Again, these words are mine.  I wanted to share this because I strongly feel everyone can benefit by training their minds to truly OBSERVE.   Be a sponge, my friends.  Canadian business needs some strong leaders now more than ever.  Families and Communities need strong leaders.  You have the ability to be one !!!!! by Dan Kenney