Before you can take action on a given idea, you have to talk about it.
If you work on a team, you have to thrash early before the idea solidifies and you’re ready to move forward. If you’re starting a solo project, your mastermind group or confidants might help you hash out an idea before it turns into a pile of work.
Regardless of the method, eventually every idea should be pushed toward a decision:
- Turn it into a project
- Shelf it for later
- Leave it for someone else
Action happens when we decide to turn an idea into a project. But sometimes, we confuse talk and action.
When we confuse talk for action, we turn the talk itself into a project. We organize an event or promote the idea to the media, for example.
Sometimes this might be the fastest way to gain the momentum necessary to turn an idea into a project; to go from talk to action. But sometimes, we’re simply delaying the important work of actually launching a project that will change people.
The next time you arrange an event or media push to talk about an idea, ask yourself: will this get us closer to turning this idea into reality or are we simply shying away from the true job to be done?
Talk and action are not the same thing. Better to allow your projects to speak for themselves than to talk about projects that never come to life.