Ideas

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The Year of Fulfillment (2014) – Ideas to Implementation to Impact!

The Senior Pastor of Word of Faith Family Worship Cathedral in Austell, Georgia declared 2014 to be “The Year of Fulfillment – Ideas to Implementation to Impact!”  Wow! That prophetic statement truly resonated with me.

And while I’m gearing up to witness great things to happen this year, you can find pessimistic people all around you.  They’re ready to spark conversations that breeds distrust, mistrust and unjust within our society.

Our national news is filled with so many disappointing stories of people unable to find a well-paying job, unable to afford healthcare, unable to determine what kinds of food to consume, and unable to decide what to watch on television!  Oops…did I say that (smile)!  So why do most of us feel so ‘unable’ when we live in a country that promotes a ‘can-do’ attitude?  What will it take for each of us to plan and execute an idea that’s been festering in our minds?

 

Ideas

There are 12 cranial nerves which mingle throughout several lobe sections of the brain. And from that, our brain produces a series of intelligences.  Here are just a few:

  • Observation
  • Imagination
  • Intuition
  • Musical/auditory
  • Creativity
  • Logic

On any given day, a normal person may conceive several great ideas!  You may have a locker full of ideas but haven’t don’t anything with it.  If you feel passionate about an idea and you know it can benefit someone else, challenge yourself to put it into action!

 

Implementation

Now here’s the hard part…once you put the idea(s) in motion, it takes dedication and commitment.  The action steps of the idea may not go as plan, but keep yourself motivated.  Here are a few quick quotes to keep pressing forward:

“Never, Never, Never Give Up!” – Winston Churchill

“I may not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday!”

“What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.”

“You can feel sore tomorrow or you can feel sorry tomorrow – You Choose!”

“Well done is better than well said!” – Benjamin Franklin

“If you can’t fly, then run; If you can’t run, then walk; If you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward!” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Start now…let ‘worry’ worry about the rest!

 

Impact

Ah!  The reward comes….you now see the results of your work.  In life, we want to have some level of being impactful to others.  Here are some impactful moments:

1)      A parent watches his/her child walk across the stage receiving a high school diploma

2)      You build and launch a new cupcake company in your neighborhood – appealing to a market with a sweet tooth

3)      A caregiver helping an older person in his/her last moments in life

4)      A major donor who fund an agriculture program in a developing country

5)      A law enforcement worker mentoring a neighborhood child

6)      A teenager babysitting young children

Impacting the lives of others will give you a sense of accomplishment.  Open that locker of ideas and see what gives you pleasure to implement.  It will become a priceless effort if you implement it!

Let go people and do some good!

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The Microcosm of Birthing New Ideas for a Grieving Community

Last week I attended a piloted event co-sponsored by the United Way of Metro Atlanta and the Atlanta Promise Neighborhood Initiative.  The gathering was exclusive to adult men from the community and its purpose was to discuss ways on improving our neighborhoods.  The initiative is funded by the U.S. Department of Education which seeks to improve the educational achievement and healthy development of underserved children and families in northwest Atlanta.

Close to twenty men from all backgrounds, careers, and various generations came together with a feeling to take action that night.  As we assembled together at a day care center for an evening of food, fellowship and fatherhood, we kept the focus on Child Education.

The moderator of the evening distributed a United Way’s Fatherhood Café Newsletter; the main article opened up like this…

“Fathers and other male role models who are consistently involved in their children’s lives help them grow up with a strong sense of self, a feeling of security and other positive characteristics.  Research by the National Center for Education Statistics shows that children benefit from their father’s involvement in their schools.  Male involvement has a distinct and independent influence on a child’s success.  When a father (or other male figure) is actively involved in school, their children:

  • Learn more
  • Have fewer discipline problems
  • Perform better in school
  • Exhibit healthier behaviors
  • Take part in extracurricular activities
  • Enjoy school more
  • Model positive adult male behavior
  • Show an increase in problem solving skills”

For me, it was helpful to hear what was on the hearts of each brother.  The pressures of work, family expectations, finances, spiritual direction, and other challenges were all earnestly expressed.  It’s interesting that we all felt something common among ourselves – it was the future and outlook of our kids.  The court verdict of the George Zimmerman trial and the recent murderous crimes made by African-American teenagers highlighted in the front pages of national news are heart-wrenching and troublesome.  It became more obvious that these situations stem from the breakdown of the family.

Through the course two hours, we supported the idea of doing more in a child’s education.  And since we were meeting in a day care center, it was a good start to volunteer our time by reading books to the toddlers, helping them with their work curriculum and interacting with them through songs.

One of the men in the room recited a statement that appealed to us.  He said “We need to prevent the transfer of our kids from the school yard to the prison yard!”  I extend my own thoughts by stating that our kids shouldn’t meet the graveyard too!  Also, my hope is that we prevent our kids from being locked-out from educational and job advances; and also prevent our kids from being locked-up by unequal sentencing laws throughout the country!

On a positive front, we have come a long way…

1)      This country has seen its first African-American U.S. President

2)      This country has seen its first African-American U.S. Attorney General

3)      This country has seen its first Hispanic woman Supreme Court Justice

But we still have a way to go…

1)      The highest levels of prison inmate of men of color in a century*

2)      The highest unemployment rate for men of color

3)      Lowest college entries for men of color in twenty years

The exchange of thoughts and ideas continued in the small meeting room.  We believe that most of our “next step” ideas will come into fruition, but baby steps are needed as we gel together as a team.  It is amazing how just a handful of men from all walks of life and soon coming together to meet a common goal!  When a community is in dire need of help, the core of individuals from that same community should find time to resolve matters.

Initiatives like this create a movement to build purpose and empower a community.  And as we celebrate the March on Washington fifty years ago this week, I DREAM for equality shared by all, freedom for all, justice approved by all, and peace to all.

Let go people and do some good!

*U.S. Bureau Department of Justice – Prison Inmates 2009/Statistic Table

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Moving from the “Talk of Doing” to the “Action of Doing”

The brain is the most integral organ of the body.  Without the brain, I can imagine us being mindless creatures with no purpose – just like the apocalyptic zombie characters wandering around in AMC’s cable television epic thriller “The Walking Dead.”  Weighing between 2.87 and 3.1 lbs., the adult brain physiologically functions to exert control over the other organs of the body.  The sensory of “thought” rouses our intelligence to react or perform, especially when we want to execute on a set personal values.

Our creator masterfully designed us with the ability to think and feel; His design was and is for us to have dominion over the creatures of the Earth (Genesis 1:26) – this of course carried a huge level of responsibility.  We were created with a desire to take care of ourselves and those around us.  We were gifted with the ability to articulate to one another.  We were intelligently built to produce and exchange tangible commodities or consumer durable goods to satisfy our lifestyle.  Lastly, we were given the chance to prove our well-being to make a difference for others.

It is a great opportunity to live in a democratic society where you have the freedom to talk and express the things manifesting in your heart.  Your heart has been aching for a long time to do something purposeful, now it’s time to program the brain to move on that very thing!  Now is the time to transform what you’ve been talking about and put it into ACTION.  The city of Rome wasn’t built in a day, but what you build now could eventually outlive you and/or grow beyond your wildest imagination!

Take A.C.T.I.O.N!

A = Active the Brain

  • Stimulate your thoughts.  Carve out some time each day to brainstorm the idea you have.  For me, the best setting is usually early mornings.
  • Read, research, and review.  Spend quality time to gain knowledge from books, workshops/conferences, leading experts, or even your place of work!

C = Challenge Yourself Daily

  • Do something that you’ve never done before.  If you have developed a homemade product to sell and want to share it with your friends, be willing to use the product on yourself first for a period of time.  You are your best customer.
  • Dare to be different; take on a new hobby that connects with your idea or vision.

T = Tell Your Story

  • Showcase the idea to those you feel will help you win the track lap of victory!
  • Be prepared to disclose your formula to a respectable venture capitalist as in ABC’s television show – “Shark Tank.”  On this particular show, entrepreneurs who dare to enter the “Shark Tank” must try to convince the tough, self-made, multi-millionaire/billionaire tycoons to part with their own hard-earned cash and give them the funding they desperately need to jumpstart their business ideas.  You might say to yourself, “My chances to meet a successful business millionaire is slim to none.”  I say, don’t undermine the prospects of meeting a person of wealth.  It could happen!

I = Initiate the Idea

  • A solid business plan will solidify your future wealth-plan.
  • Create SMART Goals: Are your goals Specific?  Are your goals Measurable?  Are your goals Attainable?  Are your goals Realistic? Are your goals Timely?

O = Outline the Benefits

  • List the benefits/awards of your Idea.  Your idea should: uplift someone, empower the un-inspired, raise a person’s esteem, enhance an individual’s lifestyle, or compliment a customer’s well-being.
  • List out the people who will benefit from your Idea.
  • Surround your idea with positive-encouraging words.

N = Network and Negotiate

  • The word network as defined by Merriam-Webster means interconnect with group or system.  Nearly all ideas need some level of work between groups of idealist and pragmatist.  Before you every launch an idea, you should carefully select individuals who possess pragmatic thinking skills.  A pragmatist leans on grounded/sound logic above anything else – whether the answer is pleasant or not, while idealist has the hope that all things yield a positive end result, even in the face of chaos or defeat.  In this process, balancing the two actions are essential to ensure your idea has been tested thoroughly.

Now are you ready? Great!

Let’s go people and do some good!

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The Purpose Equation: Idea + Implementation = Impact!

I get excited when I hear the wonderful ideas people dream up – especially if the idea develops into something that could impact the lives of others.  But once the conversations are over and days/weeks/years go by, I wonder why people don’t move into the next phase to implement their ideas.  Thomas Kuczmarski (Kuczmarski and Associates – http://www.kuczmarski.com), a Chicago consultant specializing in innovation, wrote a contributing article in Fortune Magazine several years ago.  He stated “Only one of every 20 or 25 ideas ever become a successful product – and of every 10 or 15 new products, only one becomes a hit.”

Those whose product becomes a “hit” mostly likely followed the “Purpose Equation”

Idea  +  Implementation  =  Impact

Idea

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word idea: any conception existing in the mind / thought or notion.

We conjure up ideas all the time…at work, at home, watching the news, reading a book, over lunch with friends, from an overnight dream, etc.  Ideas can: (1) make you money, (2) change an existing process by making work easier for you and those around you; (3) satisfy other people; or (4) create a movement.  Probably 90% of us (including myself) have dreamt lots of ideas at some point in time, but do we act on them? Do we have the courage to implement those ideas?

Implementation

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word implementation:  to carry out / execution, or practice of a plan, or method.

Out of that 90% Idealist group, few of us will embark on the journey to implement the idea by first evaluating the cost.  “The Cost” mean: (1) how much will it take to finance this concept; (2) how much allocation of time will I need to promote this concept; (3) how much will the idea consume my everyday life – will it cause me to be away from family and friends; and (4) how many people will this idea benefit?  You might even evaluate the pros and cons of your idea.  Probably a brave 8% of us will venture into this level.

Impact

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word impact: to influence; effect.

Few have reached this level because they strongly believe their idea will make money, change a process in their professional work, satisfy other people or create a movement.  At this point, you have to erased all doubts in your mind and simple embrace the “No Fear Zone Attitude.”  You have to weigh the cost and seek good counsel.  You also have to forecast the possibilities on how your idea will make an impact to your inner circle, where you live and eventually to the world!  You have studied those in the business on where you want to do well.  The more you get people to be convinced by your idea, the more passionate you become. Probably 2% of those will reach this status level.

I recently watched a local news report of a young father whose 1 year old son died of heart failure.  It was an un-expectant event and the parents had no idea why their son died.  Through their own health examination, the wife had some kind of rare heart condition that she was not aware of.  Months later, the young father heard the plight of another married couple who lost their teenage son of an apparent heart ailment while playing on a football practice field.  This led the young father to do something about this and he created an organization to help young kids get proper heart check-ups.  During the recent 2013 Final Four Collegiant Basketball Tournament in Atlanta, his organization along with a team of physician registered 350 young kids to get a ‘free’ heart examination with another 100 on the waiting list to be examined later this month!

The young father converted his sadness into success.  He is a great example of the Purpose Equation!

So in summary:

 

Are you ready to innovate   your IDEA?

Ask yourself: Is it supposed to make money? Will it make a   difference in the workplace? Will my idea satisfy other people? Will it cause   a positive movement to change my local surrounding, neighborhood, country or   world?  If you answered “yes” to one or   more of the following questions, then go to the next stage.

Have you weighed the   cost to IMPLEMENT your idea?

Ask yourself: How much would it financially cost to invest in my   idea?  Do I have enough time in my week   to spend on my idea?  Can I balance my   life where I can still spend time with family and friends? What are the true   benefits of my idea and would people buy into it?  

Are you ready to make an   IMPACT?

Ask yourself: As it relates to my idea, have I changed my   mindset to erase all levels of fear and doubt?  Am I good at selling my idea to those   who’ll benefit from it?  Am I prepared   to receive slow or instant results   of my idea?  Have I done enough to   research my target audience, spend time with wise counsel, prayer, and   prepare for IMPACT?

The Purpose Equation formula becomes evident by constantly working on your idea 90% of the time plus implementing the idea 8% of the time which will result in 100% impact!

Let’s go people and do some good!