Now, why didn’t I act on that?
Dear great idea folks,
I’m bombarded with great ideas. They flow freely through by brain and also freely out of my brain if I don’t write them down. So, I carry an “Aha” notebook around with me. Even wrote “Aha Notebook” on the front. I write essay ideas, column ideas, life shop ideas, recipe ideas, logo ideas, blog post ideas and anything else I want to remember, but know I’ll forget.
If you think about it, all the products you use and the songs you hear and the movies you see and the books you read, they all stared with someone’s “Aha” moment. The difference? That person acted on their “Aha” moment.
I noticed that a friend was teaching an on-line journaling class. I got an “Aha” and thought, “I can take my in-person essay writing class and turn it into an on-line writing class.” I submitting my idea and am half-way through teaching the class. It’s been such a great experience I want to teach it again!
Many of my “Aha” moments I act on. Then there are the ones I don’t fully act on. I start them, then get diverted to something else. Months or years later, I almost always stumble on someone doing an idea close to the one I didn’t fully act on. Instead of saying, “Now, why didn’t I think of that?” I say, “Now, why didn’t I act on that?”
All of us get unbelievable ideas. Only a few of us act on them.
If you don’t already, try carrying around an “Aha” notebook. Write your great ideas down. Then pick one and act on it! Hey, there might be someone who’s had an “Aha” moment about stopping the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. Yet, didn’t act on it. Don’t you wish this person would?
Your ideas can make a difference!
Have you read about someone making a business out of an idea you had awhile back? If you did, any reason why you hesitated?
Much thx, Giulietta
RSS
So many authors that have offered opinions on writing have said, to paraphrase, that the difference between a good writer and a successful writer is that the successful one puts their ass in the chair. I keep a journal handy all the time and have novel ideas that I doubt I’ll ever get to, but their there if I need ’em.
Almost forgot… (shame on me!)
As always, a great column, G. Thanks!
Hey Michael,
Long time no hear! Glad you’ve returned.
Your comment rings true. One of the main differences between a published writer and a non-published writer is that the published writer keeps writing and submitting. Persistence pays.
Do you still have your blog?
Thx for stopping by. Giulietta
I do, but it’s been on hiatus during my UK sojourn. I’ve been feeding my need to editorialize through FB links with micro-commentary. 🙂 The discussions have even been better there than on the blog!
..maybe FB isn’t completely useless after all.
Hi Giulieta – Delightful, as always! I love your energy – it jumps right off the page. I’m always having Aha moments, in fact sometimes I’m flooded with them. So writing them down, as you say, is the only thing that keeps the channel open, as Martha Graham so eloquently said. Recently I had one about a book that I have in progress, and I realized it’s not really a book but something else altogether. And I came to that Aha by seeing what someone else had done. So inspiration truly is all around us, just waiting to be turned into an Aha.
Hi Patty,
I look forward to your book-turned-something else adventure. Quite intriguing. Love your last line, “So inspiration truly is all around us, just waiting to be turned into an Aha.” Brilliant!
Thx. Giulietta
My internal idea generator never seems to shut off ~ I may need to lay-off the part of me that is in place to take them to the next level … she’s asleep at the wheel WAAAAY too often.
I needed this post today, right now, in this moment when I’ve read many fantastic blog posts of others and now need to get going on a few of my own.
Thank you Giulietta!!
Sally,
That is too funny about having to lay-off part of yourself. Think we need to employ an idea activator!
Thanks for stopping by. Look forward to your next post. Good luck with it.
Giulietta
Hi Giulietta,
What a terrific post! I chuckled in the beginning when you describe how ideas flow in and out of your brain freely. I can relate.
I’ve been carrying a beautiful Italian leather-bound notebook and it’s been wonderful for capturing those aha moments you so eloquently describe. I also use it for brainstorming during in-between times such as waiting a few minutes before a meeting or an event, while my son is napping in the backseat and I don’t want to wake him or while husband is driving and the little guy and I are his passengers. It’s a great tool and, more importantly, an awesome catalyst for breathing life into those aha moments.
Hi Belinda,
Good to hear from you! Wow, your “Aha” notebook sounds beautiful. Mentioning it gave me another “idea.” See, even during my comment on your comment my brain is generating ideas.
Fun and Funny.
Love your line, “breathing life into those aha moments.” Yes!
Will visit your site today. Maybe I’ll get more “ideas” there.
Thx. G.
As usual, you’ve come up with a theme that many of us can identify with. So often I’ve berated myself for not acting on an idea when someone else did instead.
I can also relate to ideas flowing through your brain as mine seem to rush in and out all the time, especially when I’m out walking, bathing or wake up in the middle of the night. I have kept notebooks for years with a stack of Aha moments that I have yet to follow up on. I may read them and think, why don’t I write about/follow up on this? – but not yet, too busy, I’ll get around to it. But there’s that occasional surprise when I’ll read an old Aha moment and find I can actually follow up on it, use it in something I’m writing, or it gives me an idea to write about.
Thanks for raising a question that will stay with me long after I read this blog post?
Hi Penelope,
Yes, ideas seem to arrive at inopportune moments for taking notes, like during a shower! A waterproof note pad in the shower would be a plus. Glad you’ve taken action on some of your “aha” writing ideas. You wrote your book, right?
Enjoy, G.
Keeping an Ah Ha journal with you is an excellent way to capture your ideas. Like you said the key is to act on your ideas. It is amazing what one can do if they take action rather than lament about what could have been. Good post.
Hi Mark,
Appreciate you stopping by. Good point! Lots of action time taken up by lamenting. We could do lots of good in the world if we stopped lamenting and starting acting.
Thanks! G.
I love the idea of an “aha” notebook, now if only I could find a pen…
Hi Claire,
Funny! I’m hawking Aha Notebooks — they come with an attached pen … Wanna buy one?
Appreciate you stopping by. G.
I once met a man who had a brilliant invention. It was a type of toothbrush that-at the time-Colgate, Crest, and Oral B were fighting to get their hands on.
In our conversation, I asked him why he thought nobody every thought of this idea before. He said, “There were probably others who had this idea before me, but I was most likely the only person who pursued.”
It took him 7 years to to develop but he did it. I think most people do not act on their idea because of the work and effort needed to execute that idea.
Great post! Very thought provoking.
Hi Ralph,
Love your story about the invention. You’re right that most folks don’t act on their brilliant ideas. Our culture of getting permission certainly doesn’t help. Would love to see more encouragement to follow our great ideas… Enjoyed your visit here!
I have lots of brilliant ideas that I forget about… but I do write a lot of them down. It’s nice to look back on my wish list and see the ideas I turned into reality. It’s easy to get diverted, but it’s also nice to see what actually sticks… the stuff that won’t let me go, despite my greatest attempts to remain distracted.
Hi Angie!
It’s funny how we’ll say, “oh, i’ll remember that.” 30 minutes later we can’t remember it (and it was brill!) Great idea to look at your wish list and see which ones made it out of the idea slush pile! Thx. G.
I would be lost without my inspiration notebook. I am constantly jotting things down! It is so good.. It allows me to compile ideas throughout the day and then head back to my computer at the end of it or early the next morning to get writing.
Best,
Hannah Katy
Hi Hannah,
Thank you for stopping by! Love that you constantly jot things down. I’m with you on that one. When you think of the number of good ideas that whiz through your brain each day, it’s truly humbling…
Giulietta