When I hear about a great idea that a friend has, I get excited. I can’t wait to see that idea become reality. Then I ask about the idea a few months later, and it often is not one bit closer to completion.
Having ideas is easy. Despite the fact that we like to think the idea alone harbors some inherent value, they aren’t hardly worth the paper they’re written on. Otherwise, why do we allow them to pile up on the corner of our desks like so many discarded candy wrappers?
The fear of failure is what prevents most of us from simply taking the first step toward bringing an idea to life. But even if we overcome that fear, it never really leaves. Its presence is manifest in the layers of complexity that we allow ourselves to construct around the idea. We worry that the idea alone isn’t sufficient and must be propped up with a “glitzy UI” or it needs a longer list of features to gain “traction in the market.” Building those layers is just busy work which keeps us distracted so we can’t spend time worrying about whether our idea has merit. Complexity also serves as a great excuse when the project finally collapses.
Success can be closer than we think, it merely requires the courage to overcome our fears of inadequacy and the steadfast ability to stay focused on the simplest possible solution.
Source: zenhabits.net
