This guest post was written by Goal Guru and good friend, Jill Koenig - she is probably the first (and longest running) regular reader this blog ever had, and I love her for that. 
Have you ever heard of the “Entrepreneurs Curse?”
I don’t know about you, but I hear this phrase being thrown around a lot these days. It is a very negative statement about a very positive phenomenon.
It usually comes from someone who is an idea machine. The person gets overwhelmed with all of their ideas and to the point of distraction from their current endeavor, hence the “curse” reference.
You see, visionary people can literally come up with hundreds of ideas a day, most of them are legitimate, workable theories and would result in success if and when they were carried out. But since most entrepreneurs are working solo at home, they often lack the tools, support, financial capital and connections to bring all of the ideas to fruition in the now, and that can feel frustrating.
I am a big believer in utilizing empowering language and therefore, while I can relate to the feeling of frustration at times of coming up with so many awesome ideas, I consider it a huge blessing, not a curse. I consider my creativity a gift, in fact it’s the gift that keeps on giving. Most people don’t come up with one killer idea in their entire lifetime, and here am overflowing with hundreds everyday.
Entrepreneurs are not afraid to pursue them, and this can lead to challenges if not harnessed and directed within a long term vision.
If you are a victim of the Entrepreneurs Blessing, here is a simple system for managing your abundance of ideas.
Four Steps for Conquering the Curse
1. Reframe the notion that it’s a curse to be an idea machine. You are blessed. Dreams and visions are planted in you for a reason and you are extremely fortunate. Be grateful and look at at this as a tremendous gift.
2. Capture the ideas. Keep a notebook with you just for these thoughts. Get them out of your head and on paper and this will take some of the pressure off. You will be able to get back to whatever you were previously working on and when you have the time to delve a little deeper into it they will all be in one place.
3. Is the idea one that you would be passionate about? Could you conceivably spend your waking, working hours immersed in this vision day in and day out? The only thing worse than having a great idea is pursuing a great idea and investing large amounts of time in something that you have no passion for. In Goal University we have a formula for determining your passions, values and priorities. Get clear. Violate them at your own risk.
4. Figure out if this is a great add on to what you are already doing. If it is, great! You can decide how and when to integrate it into your current project or business. If it does not fit, or takes valuable time, energy, capital or other resources from your ultimate vision, perhaps it is something to table for another time in the future. You don’t have to let it go forever, just set it aside for now.
You do not want to drop what you are doing every time you get a new idea. That is why it’s called a curse, because people abandon their current plan and start anew every time they get a new idea and never make any forward progress.
Pursue the ones that will bring you joy, add to your life and to the lives of others. If an idea is not aligned with your long term vision, values, priorities, current passions and commitments, it may be best to set aside and revisit another time.
Be grateful for the blessings of being an idea machine. You have been given a gift many cannot even imagine.
Jill Koenig, the ‘Goal Guru’ is America’s Top Goal Strategist. A Best Selling Author, Coach and Motivational Speaker, she is an expert on the subjects of Goal Setting, Time Management and Business Success. Her passion in life is helping you UNLEASH your full potential. Get your FREE Goal Setting CD at: GoalGuru.com
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What an excellent post. Entrepreneurs Curse is my life exactly!! I have a notepad on my desk in my office and upstairs on the kitchen counter. I come up with business ideas throughout the day… which seems like a wonderful thing, but I have a terrible problem with starting projects before I finish my last project. It drives me crazy. Thank you so much for writing this wonderful article for managing my “idea curse”.
Thank you Wendy, my DotComPreneur sister for your kind words, friendship and for opening my eyes to the vast potential of blogging.
Live Your Dreams,
Jill
Great post. It took me a while to learn to focus on a particular project until it was completed. I just finished one off, and I can already see that it’s doing the first part of what I wanted… hopefully part 2 (sales) will appear shortly.
I’ve sometimes felt like all of my ideas were a bit of a “curse” that came from having a creative mind and an entrepreneural spirit. It wasn’t until very shortly ago (in the last couple of weeks, actually) that I realized that every idea I have doesn’t have to turn into a full-time business! For example, I am a freelance writer, and while I could theoretically do that 40 hours a week, it wouldn’t leave time for other ideas. I’ve had an itch to start a “home organizing” business for quite some time, but it would take a long time to turn that into a full-time gig. What’s to say I can’t get my freelance business going part time and take on occasional organizing jobs?
It’s funny how such a simple concept can be so elusive!
Hi,
How can someone consider having a lot of ideas everyday is a curse?
I personally think that being an idea machine is a precious gift that not all of us can have. Those people that has pouring ideas is truly blessed and they should nurture those gifts by sharing to people who can’t have even a single in their minds.
I am not an idea machine, I sometimes run short of ideas but I still consider myself lucky because every time an idea pops up into my head I can manage to put them into writing.
I am easily distracted. Once the “shine” has come off whatever it is I am working on I chase my latest idea almost as a means of procrastination. While there may be merit in the new idea I have come up with, there was nothing wrong with the project I was working on and it needn’t be abandoned. I think you suggestion of keeping a pad of paper handy to capture those ideas for future pursuit, while not losing focus on what is presently most important is absolutely key.