Don’t Die with a Million-Dollar Idea Still Inside You!

Did you know that you were brought to this earth for a specific reason? You are the only person who can fulfill the purpose and mission for which you were born. What is your purpose? What is your mission? You have within you the ability to create anything that you can imagine. The fact that you can think about a particular thing is evidence that you can create it.

A creative act is experienced from the inside out; first it is experienced in the mind, followed by outward expression as an idea, concept, product, or service. Napoleon Hill, author of the success classic Think and Grow Rich, said, “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve.” Can you believe that you have a million-dollar idea inside of you? You can and you will, if you believe you can.

We Live in an Idea Universe

We live in an idea universe, where Thomas Edison said, “Ideas are waiting to be discovered.” Have you found your idea yet? Have you found the idea that will take you from where you are right now to the lifestyle of your dreams? Think about the idea that subtly entered your consciousness and left just as quickly. Think about the idea that caused your heart to race because there was no way you could accomplish it by yourself, yet the sheer size and scope of the idea caused your muscles to tense up and your palms to get sweaty with anticipation. Your million-dollar idea is created within the confines of your mind, and it is waiting for you to reach out and grab hold of it.

The problem with most people is that when the inkling of an idea enters their minds, they are not prepared for what comes next—the feelings and thoughts of doubt, disbelief, fear, and failure. Most people stop at this point—the idea is lost, and they go back to life as usual. Did you know that your brain is programmed to keep you where you are in your life and that the minute you try to do something different, you run up against the mental programming that has prevented you from being as successful as you should be? You must break through this mental wall of failure and pursue your ideas with focus, energy, and intensity. You must become so determined to see your idea become a reality that you either create your idea or you die trying to accomplish it. That is the high commitment level that you must bring to this life-changing endeavor.

Are You Creative?

Do you possess the creative ability to develop a world-changing idea? We are all creative, and we all possess the ability to produce fantastic ideas; in fact, you are an idea-generating machine that can create masterpieces where nothing existed before. How many times have you had a great idea, only to see it materialize somewhere else? We live in a time full of opportunity and possibility; in fact, businessman, author, and motivational speaker Brian Tracy says that “the average person has four ideas a year, which if any one of them is acted upon would make them a millionaire.” Have you seen your million-dollar idea this year?

Everyone has a multimillion-dollar idea inside them, but statistically, very few will become millionaires because they will not bother to implement their million-dollar ideas. The real joy in creating novel ideas is in finding creative ways to put them into practice and then seeing the ideas grow. You have an unlimited opportunity to produce wealth and abundance in your life—today! There are over a million ways to become wealthy and prosperous, but there are only a few ways that are absolutely suited to your personality, skills, passions, and desires. You only need to find one idea in order to change your entire life. Art Fry of 3M created the Post-It Notes one time, and now 3M pays him one percent of total sales every year. Can you live with one percent of $100 million every year of your life?

Personally, I have always wanted to write a book—it is amazing how this desire came about by following through on an idea that I had for a totally unrelated project. I wanted to drive traffic to one of my Web sites, so I decided to create a template that I would give away as an incentive for people to join my mailing list. I created the template to help people outline and structure their ideas and concepts—this was only supposed to be a five-page template. Well, 115 pages later, I had written my first book, and I had a blast doing it. Recently, my vision for this book has expanded tremendously. Now I am building a brand around this book to include interactive software, a membership Web site, coaching, and many other products.

What if I had stopped at five pages? What if I had settled for “good enough” and decided to wait until the “right time” to write a book? What can you learn from my experience? What idea have you kept hidden away in your heart?

How to Get Ideas

How do you develop or create life-changing ideas? Ideas are all around us, yet they will not trip you up as you walk down the street. Ideas will not come knocking at your door, waiting for you to invite them into your home. Ideas are elusive and are only revealed to the discerning eyes of people who are ready for them.

You get ideas by actively searching for them. The quality of an idea is based upon the information you gather and the specialized or general knowledge you have to work with. You find ideas when you actively combine old elements or ideas into new combinations—that is the essence of ideation. Curiosity is another way to feed your ability to get new ideas because the more you search, the more you will find. The more you know, the more you will want to know. Continuous learning allows you to add new information, facts, and knowledge to your kit bag to help you create new and better ideas.

How to Implement Your Ideas

After you create the idea, you have to figure out a way to move the idea from concept to reality. You need a team to help you develop your ideas. Do not try to do everything by yourself—your team may be able to contribute time, money, resources, and support as you get your idea off the ground. You must develop a plan that outlines how you are approaching the development and deployment of your idea. The old adage goes, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Get started building a foundation under the big dream that you are building.
Remember, teamwork makes the dream work. Creating a vision team is easy. Who do you know that is doing what you want to do? Who do you admire? Who wants to see you succeed and is willing to back this intention up with action? Create a list of these people, identify what you need them to help you with, decide what you can offer them in return for their service, and contact them immediately. You can contact them by e-mail or by phone. Ask each person to commit one hour every month to help you expand your vision of what is “possible” for your idea. Set up a monthly teleconference with your vision team, and allow them to help you take action on your great ideas.

Identify your skill and information deficits. What specific or general knowledge do you need to launch your idea? Can you learn it, or do you need to pay someone to provide the knowledge for you? Identify the specific skills and knowledge that you need to develop and create your idea, and go get it today.

What is it going to cost if you do not follow up on your idea? What opportunities will you miss? What mission will you not accomplish? When one person finds her mission in life, she helps 1,000 people find the missions for their lives. Find a strong reason to persist in creating your idea, no matter what the obstacles or circumstances. I have heard it said that there are 1,000 reasons why you cannot pursue your dreams; I challenge you to find one reason why you can pursue your dreams.

You are a walking miracle—there is no one on this earth that has the unique abilities and insights that you possess. You were placed here for a particular reason. Do not allow that reason to go to the grave with you. The idea, the plan, the purpose, and the dream are not meant just for you but for all of mankind.

Billionaire Ross Perot says that “it just takes one idea to live like a king for the rest of your life.” I submit that one idea cannot only change your life, but one idea can change the lives of millions of people.

Imagine if Gandhi of India allowed his idea of nonviolent social change to die with him: Millions of people in India may have continued to be oppressed by the British Empire. In America, Martin Luther King, Jr. would have never studied Gandhi’s principles of nonviolent social change, which means that black Americans might not have enjoyed the freedoms that they enjoy today.
Follow the example of these great men—express your idea, live your idea, create your idea, and share you idea with the world, but most importantly, DON’T DIE WITH A MILLION-DOLLAR IDEA STILL INSIDE YOU!

** This article is one of 101 great articles that were published in 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life. To get complete details on “101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life”, visit http://www.selfgrowth.com/greatways3.html