How To Turn An Idea Into A Reality

What’s my secret to success? Well, one day I just woke up and magically got everything I ever wanted. Well, kind of.

Trust me - I am a firm believer in dedicated work. I believe in showing up, putting forth your best effort, and completing the task at hand. The action does need to be there. But what about before the action? What fuels the action?

An idea.

How do you turn an idea into a reality? If you are an entrepreneur, you’ve probably pondered this question many times. Immediately, your mind goes to actionable items, checklists, resources, your network...the list goes on. And whether you realize it or not, you’ve exhausted your mind thinking about the action and not the actual idea itself. Soon, the actions become overwhelming and you’re now lost, tired, and back at square one. Sound familiar?

How did you get here? And how do you get back to forward movement? A simple refocus is needed. Your job is not to turn an action into a reality - it’s to turn an idea into a reality. Before shifting right into action, let’s back it up for a moment, shall we?

Step 1: Allow yourself to actually believe in the idea. (Even if you feel like you have no idea what you’re doing.) If you have an idea in mind, write it down. Now look at that idea on paper – do you actually believe you are able to do it? (Note: I didn’t ask anything in regards to how you are going to do it.) Do you believe you can do it? If so, write down: I believe I can [write in your idea].

Brutal truth: Sometimes you won’t believe you can do it. Your mind will trick you into thinking you can’t do something, when really, your mind just can’t fully envision how you are going to do it. There is a huge difference between the two – don’t let your mind fool you. It’s okay to not know all of the answers – actually, that is a very good thing! It means your idea is big -  bigger than you can see now. Accept that you don’t know all of the answers, but trust yourself enough to allow the idea to stay in the forefront of your mind.

Step 2: Keep thinking about your idea. All of the time. By thinking about your idea constantly, the Law of Attraction will pull like-minded people into your life who can help, inspire, and guide you. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people will begin to change the way you see things. You’ll find yourself in conversation “randomly” coming up with small solutions to progress your idea - even if you weren’t even talking directly about it. In actuality, this is not so random at all. This is a mindset change. With this mindset change comes solutions on how to make your idea come to life.

Brutal Truth: This means that you might need to do a “circle sweep.” This is a game-changer. Replace time spent with people who aren’t truly cheering for you with time spent with like-minded thinkers - people who are also looking outside of the box and will help you see unconventional solutions.

Step 3: Embrace faith, not fear. You have to trust yourself. Allow yourself to be an amateur. Ask for help! Give yourself grace when things don’t go as planned and seek solutions outside of what you know. That like-minded community will come in handy. Let your idea evolve as you yourself evolve. It’s okay that your idea is bigger than what you can see right now.

Brutal Truth: Sometimes you are going to feel stuck. You’ll feel as though you are in a forever waiting period where nothing is happening. You won’t see how you will overcome a problem and you will begin to talk yourself out of what you really want. Do not let fear of the unknown take over. Shift “I don’t know how I will figure this out,” into “This idea is going to be bigger than I imagined, and I trust that the right people and right situations will help guide me to an even bigger version of my idea!”

Did I wake up one day and everything magically just pieced together? Yes and no. I did the work - and I still am doing the work! But the action and effort has been intentionally fueled by belief in myself, a band of people who guide me, and refusing to succumb to fear.

And that is where the magic lies.

Community Talk: How To Turn An Idea Into A Reality

“The most important step when turning an idea into a reality is actually taking steps each day. They don’t have to be huge steps, but all steps count. It can be really scary, but ask friends (especially entrepreneur friends) where to start.” Megan Eddings, Founder + CEO, Accel Lifestyle

“Vision - Trust your instincts; Consistency - take feedback but don’t compromise; Advocacy - Enlist experts to become advocates.” Bruce Franklin, Director of TOM FORD BEAUTY Education North America

“The moment you make any effort to express your ideas, you begin to make it a reality. Thoughts are spoken, words attract action, action creates tangible results.” Jaz Porter, Yoga Instructor + Entrepreneur, Creator of Ascend with Yogi Jaz, Co-Creator of Yoga Evolution TV

“Write it down on paper and look at it everyday until it happens.” Karen Maxwell, Senior Master Instructor, CYCLEBAR + Creator, Kinisi Performance CBD

“Take that idea and really break down what it means. Poke holes in it and flush it out!” Alicia Tillman, Yoga Instructor + Entrepreneur, Awkward Yoga Girl