Improve Your Idea Love Life. Before The V Day
How to Be a Better Partner and Lover for Your Ideas.
The Valentine’s Day is on the horizon so let's talk about your love life: of your ideas love life.
Yes, you heard me right.
Your ideas, those flashes of brilliance that light up your brain's darkest corners, deserve a love story.
Not the fleeting kind that fizzles out faster than a poorly made match on Tinder, but the kind that's in it for the long haul.
Because here's the raw truth: having a love affair with your ideas is wonderful if you can execute them. Otherwise, your life turns into a cruel joke. Seriously. And trust me, living that joke isn't fun.
Becoming a Faithful Partner to Your Creative Spark
In the throes of creativity, there's a moment that feels almost divine—the birth of an idea. It's exhilarating, intoxicating even. But having a head full of ideas without the ability to bring them to life is like having a sports car without knowing how to drive.
The Honeymoon Phase with Ideas
Remember the early days of a new relationship?
The butterflies, the rush of excitement, the desire to spend every waking moment together? That's exactly what it feels like when a Great Idea hits you.
You're in love, captivated by its potential and promise.
This phase, much like the honeymoon period in a romantic relationship, is filled with optimism and dreams of what could be.
But then the honeymoon phase is over, and the reality soon sets in.
The once-exciting Great Idea starts to show its flaws—its dirty socks, if you will.
This is the make-or-break moment.
Many abandon ship at the first sign of trouble, convinced that the grass is greener on the other side, perpetually in search of a more perfect idea. But this cycle of infatuation and disillusionment leads nowhere, leaving a trail of unfulfilled potential in its wake.
The Reality Check
But then, reality hits. You decide to 'move in' with your Great Idea, and that's when you start noticing its dirty socks and the sink full of dirty dishes.
The initial excitement fades, and you're left wondering if you made a massive mistake. Depending on your temperament that may happen after two years or after two weeks.
This is the moment of truth in any relationship, and it's no different with your ideas.
Some bail, thinking there's something better out there, perpetually swiping right in search of a flawless idea.
But here's a life lesson: it's not about finding the perfect idea; it's about becoming the perfect partner for any idea.
"The best way to predict the future is to create it."- Peter Drucker
Becoming a Better Lover
Here's where the rubber meets the road: commitment. Committing to an idea means moving beyond the initial excitement and embracing the mundane, the challenging, and, yes, even the downright tedious aspects of bringing it to life. It's about doing the work, day in and day out, regardless of whether you're still feeling those butterflies.
How do you become a better lover to your ideas? By doing the work.
"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” - Walt Disney
Becoming a better partner to your ideas means understanding that creativity is not just about ideation but execution.
True mature love is about commitment, about choosing to love your idea even when it's no longer shiny and new.
It's about deciding to make it work, to bring that idea into reality,
It's about realizing that every Great Idea will eventually require you to deal with its 'dirty dishes'—the hard work, the setbacks, the moments of doubt—and loving it anyway.
Praying for Execution
After decades of skepticism, I've found myself in an unexpected place—praying. Not in the traditional sense, perhaps, but praying nonetheless.
And it’s not important how I pray or who I pray to; the key things is what I sometimes pray for:
I pray not just for the arrival of Great Ideas, but for the strength, wisdom, and perseverance to do justice to the ideas that come my way; to have the capacity to love them right.
It's a prayer for strength, for the ability to execute, and for the wisdom to nurture and develop those ideas into something tangible.
Being in a Committed Relationship with Your Idea
Staying faithful to your ideas means resisting the allure of Idea Tinder—the endless swiping left and right in search of the next big thing. It's about dedication to your current project, understanding that true creativity is a long-term relationship, not a fleeting fling.
The Art of Execution Over Ideation
The real magic lies not in the ideation but in the execution.
It's a hard truth many of us learn the hard way.
Ideas, as seductive as they are in their infancy, need energy, action, and a relentless commitment to see them through.
They need someone who's not just a lover but also a fighter, ready to battle through the messiness of making an idea come to life.
Think about it: do you feel like you need better ideas or do your ideas need a better you?
Be the partner your ideas need.
Embrace the grind, commit to the process, and love your ideas fiercely, dirty socks and all. So that later in life, the two of you can to reminiscent of the ups and downs you had along the way, but you made it still. It’s better than spying on them on social media, watch them live a happy life with someone else (ouch!).
Because in the end, the quality of your idea love life determines not just the success of those ideas, but the fulfilment and joy you find in bringing them to life.
Since You Are Here…. I have a favour to ask! Take a minute to fill in my survey (totally anonymous - unless You decide otherwise!) on your state of focus/attention, productivity, practices, and routines.
As one someone put it: “this survey was a good reflection exercise!”
"Shipping beats perfection." - Seth Godin
And here’s a man that knows how to love his Ideas: