When was the last time you said something such as, "I wish they would invent something to..." or "Somebody really should..." or "Why don't they make something that..."? If you are like most people, you probably say these words on a regular basis. Who are "they"? Who is "somebody"? Why can't the "they" and "somebody" be you?

One of the most common reasons people do not act on ideas is that they think somebody must have already thought of it. The chances are, somebody, even many others, have thought about it, but nobody has acted on it. Every fortune, large or small, started with an idea. Some of these ideas at one time were thought to be far fetched, silly, stupid, crazy, and even impossible. It was the inventor who had enough belief and determination to see the idea through into its physical equivalent.

Here are some more reasons people generally don't act on ideas.

They don't think they are inventors. Just because you are not a plumber, doesn't mean you can't unclog your own toilet with a plunger. It does not take an electrician to change a light bulb, nor does it take an inventor to come up with and act on a good idea.
They don't believe in their ideas enough. Many people make the mistake of asking other people what they think of an idea and choosing to act or not based on others' opinions. I believe it was Edison who was known for asking for others' opinions on his ideas, and if they all unanimously thought it was a BAD idea, he would act on it. Ask yourself, what is your "gut" feeling on this idea?
They don't know how to follow through. Many people simply don't know what to do next after having an idea. The key is to educate yourself and align yourself with the right people who can help you see your idea through. With the advent of the Internet, this is easier than ever before in history.
They fear criticism and ridicule. What do you think Gary Dahl's family and friends thought of him when he enthusiastically explained to them that he was going to market a "pet rock" for $3.95? I can just imagine how his parents felt when trying to explain what their son was up to these days, "Oh, our Gary is working on selling rocks as pets". And of course there is the more common example of Columbus' idea of the world being round. This was the classic case of public criticism and ridicule. Those who ridicule new ideas are closed-minded, and criticism from them should not be accepted.
Here is my five-step idea process that I like to follow. Feel free to adopt mine or create your own. The goal of this process is to make sure we act on our ideas worthy of action.

Record it. The moment an idea pops in your head, write it down or record it.
Add it to your list. Have a page in your success journal or a list somewhere where you transfer, write down and collect all of your ideas and review this list often. Your idea may not be strong enough to act on now, but it may be later.
Carefully think through the idea and the possibilities. Do not let "reasoning" talk you out of taking action on an idea. Most ideas probably are not worth pursuing, but do not get in the habit of letting all ideas go.
Always be acting on at least one idea. Pick your best idea at the time and act on it. Do the research. Make acting on the idea one of your goals and follow the proper goal setting steps.
Know when to move on. There is a fine line between giving up and moving on. Never give up on good ideas but know when to move on to better ideas.
It only takes one good idea to lead you to wealth. If you have 100 ideas a year and act on 10 of them and one results in wealth, you will have made it. It is not lack of knowledge or talent that keeps most people from wealth, it is lack of persistence. You are just as capable of bringing a great idea to this world as Edison, Ford, and Gates. Act on your ideas, and wealth will eventually find its way to you.

Too Much Information and not enough good communication.

Today it seems like I am in a constant state of information overload. We have too many things being created all of the time, and it is not possible to keep up with it all. Yet, when I look at the information that is coming my way, I am surprised how little of it really has a relevant message. This is a very important thing for speakers to remember. It is rare that we do not have enough information. It is rare that we do not have thousands of sources to support our claims. It is also rare that our speech is clear, concise and to the point. Endeavor to use illustrations to drive your point home. But, avoid speeches that provide little but anecdotes and memoirs. Have a reason to speak and help us to understand.
Ray Bradbury had it right. All we are fed by the media is factoids, not true information. As he said they tell us what date someone was born, but not why it should matter. We are not given the meat of the situation. All we hear is the goo that they want us to hear.
We no longer need to burn books in America. No one reads them, so what is the point.
JA

May Patch Day

May 2006 Patch Day Nightmares.
Flash Update from Microsoft is terrible. On 9 out of 10 machines it does not install. Install Flash Player 8 instead. The problem goes away and you have a better flash player.

kb913433

Conan the Buffoon

I usually get a kick out of Conan O'Brien's show. However, today he went to Finland. I believe he was rather rude and obnoxious to the people of that fine country, especially to the President. I don't know where he got off thinking that this would be funny. I guess he can do anything he wants really , but I am not sure I will be joining him any time soon. My wife had a much different take on the show and thought it was hilarious, especially when he was driving through the country side looking for wild life. Having lived in Wyoming and Minnesota all of my life, I believe he could have saved the network the 203k that he claimed to have spent on the trip, simply by going to northern minnesota. he would have found similar culture and similar wildlife and language barriers. Just joking. Keep up the bad work Conan.

AJ