Monthly Archives: August 2013

Choosing the Right Idea

Posted on August 27, 2013 | Leave a comment

I’ve been coming up with so many business ideas lately and the problem that has arise to me is that it always comes to mind that the idea will not work. Similar to the first post, I’ve been keeping my mind open to all the options that are available in creating great ideas. But somehow this thing in the back of my mind somehow always comes up saying the idea probably won’t work.

I’ve been listening to great speakers talk about this issue and it’s very common. One of the speakers who I appreciate so much and would love to have the chance to meet is Jason Nazar. CEO and co-founder of Docstoc, he spoke about how we shouldn’t be worried if an idea will work or not. We actually instead should be worried if that idea exists within the market because if it doesn’t exist, then you won’t be able to sell it.

It doesn’t matter if the idea we have already exists or if it sounds stupid, we should take that idea and figure out how we can make it different and improve it to the public. And that’s what I think we have to put in focus, rather than fearing if our idea will work or not, we have to execute it. So how do we know if our idea will work?

There are several questions we must ask ourselves first in order to make that idea become a reality. Similar to a business plan with getting down to specifics, two questions that are important to ask are: Who are our audience? What is their problem?
Figuring how we can deliver it and create demand will come afterwards.

So how do you know your idea you came up with will work? Have you doubted yourself with that idea? One advice that has begun to get implanted into my head is that when we have an idea, lets execute it with the least amount of cost possible. That way you won’t risk a lot and you can start all over again with out the weight on your back from the previous idea.

It’s awesome coming up with many different ideas, but I think when we have the mindset of thinking if it will work or not should be forgotten. I always speak with my mentor about it and if you’re in that struggle of figuring which idea will work or not, I would suggest talking with a mentor to advise you which is best.

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Dealing with our Failures

Posted on August 20, 2013 | Leave a comment

I’m sure most of us through our lives have failed once, the problem however, is how do you come to admitting it to your team? What are the first words you say to your team and how do you bounce back from it?

In churches or the business organization, it probably is about the most embarrassing thing to say up in front of your team with all eyes on you and have them note we didn’t accomplish it or are on a pitfall. So what do we do?

We all have to note that part of becoming a great leader is to willingly admit to your mistakes. We can’t hide them because they will build up and cause havoc amongst you and your team. Especially with pastors. Many pastors at church I have noticed will not acknowledge their errors with the congregation due to the fact many members may leave, and want to make believe that the church has a firm standing.

I think that’s not the case. Once we admit that we have failed in front of everyone, the congregation will not get up and walk away. Instead since we are a team, this creates a tighter bond and much stronger motivation planning out how to bounce back up.

And how do we bounce back up?

Well we already establish ourselves to be motivated so that’s done. The next thing to do is to strategize what we are looking to aim for. What are the goals for the month? The year? Three years from now and how are we going to do it? Is everyone committed to be on board? When planning out, we have to be specific and give details in order to not come across failure again.

Another thought we have to keep in focus is not to listen to those who keep bringing us down (naysayers). If some of the members of the team left and decide to talk about the rest behind their backs, don’t listen to them. Listening to them will only cause more fuel to fail.

As leaders, when we fail, we should most importantly learn from it. This is how leaders become great. We build experience and gain knowledge if the path we are taking is the correct one to succeed. And what I love about this is that when we start to admit to our failures and learn from them, we then will gain more respect from our team or congregation, and that strong bond will be difficult to break.

To conclude, as leaders, how do you handle yourself when wanting to admit to your team of your failures? Do you address everyone about it at the same time or individually have them aware of what’s going on? If you’ve already had them aware, what was the experience like bouncing back up?

One important thing to keep note is that we shouldn’t be afraid to fail. Robert Kennedy quotes:

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”

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Coming with Ideas

Posted on August 13, 2013 | Leave a comment

Not everyone is creative in coming up with new ideas, especially when we’re thinking what business to start. I’ve struggled coming with new ideas but over time however, I have improved my ways on bringing in new ideas and yet I continue to expand myself even further for having a mind full of new creative ideas.

There are several ways I do that helps me come up with new ideas, and would like to help you out with the methods I use. These methods are the following:

Writing it Down: Doesn’t matter what time of day it is, I always tend to write down my ideas immediately. You can’t trust your mind to hold it throughout the day. Being at night or early morning, I recommend writing down any new idea you can think of, and looking back later on to see if you could add anything else to it.

Meditating: While being in a quiet room, I feel my mind is fully cleared and stressed-free. Being in this state, several ideas tend to pop out in an instant.

Jogging: I do this in the morning for 30 minutes to an hour. It clears the mind, helps stimulate the mind and doing this helps me come up with new ideas I have for a project or a business idea I want to look into.

Comfortable Setting: I enjoy being at a coffee shop. I concentrate better and and my focus on new ideas become on point. You could try sitting at the park or at a bookstore. Whichever you prefer, one of these settings I know will help you concentrate more on your ideas.

Reading: Perhaps this is the least of the bunch that happens, but while reading a business book and taking notes, my mind starts to randomly think of new ideas. I’m sure this may happen to you. I have been told reading a non-business book may also help you come with new ideas. Let me know if you’ve tried it.

Audio: And lastly which is one of my favorite ways to come up with new ideas, is by listening to an audio of either a seminar, lecture or podcast. I listen to a lot of podcasts, and right in the middle while they’re speaking I pop out Evernote and write the many ideas that come to mind. These ideas however while listening to an audio, they’re more motivating than the other methods I use.

I hope these six methods help you gain better ideas you can benefit from if you’re stuck not knowing what business or project to start. If you have any other methods you use and would like to share, feel free to comment below.

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Act of Acquiring Skills

Posted on August 6, 2013 | Leave a comment

A great quote that I’ve read earlier this week stated that the greatest ingredient of mastering a skill is time. And this is true to what new things we want to gain. However, with the few people I’ve spoken to, many came that they don’t have the time to do a certain thing because they have a job, kids, and all these other excuses. But I believe in reality, we all can find that time to focus on something.

What’s so true is that if we have time to sleep, to eat, to be on the phone and surf the net, then we have the time to focus on a skill we want to acquire. What I mean by this is that we should tend to get up a little early or go to bed a little late just to make time for that skill or project we want to get.

Someone recently asked me about ways they could improve with their skills in music. I answered them with just by listening to music, getting a better understanding of the rhythm, and practicing on a drum pad that will be of good use. I additionally told him that when he comes home from work he can get out the practice pad and just practice away. But his response was: I don’t have the time.

I explained to him that he does have the time, it’s just he doesn’t know how to use it properly. If the only time he practices is when the whole group reunites, then there’s a major problem. Why? Because reason being is that he’s not making a major contribution within himself.

The time when we make the most of our skills is when we are on our own. You will be stuck and will find it difficult and uncomfortable when everyone passes you by because they’ve all made a contribution within themselves. And the results will be holding everyone back when it comes time to perform.

He quickly understood and took hold of the concept. If they don’t have that much time of their own to make, make it happen!

On a weekend for example, out of work coming home and the wife says we’re going to a family picnic. I’m sure he can find ten minutes of that time to practice on his own. It’s by applying at least just a small portion of his time to focus on something. In the end, that small portion he did will turn out to be a big result. The 80/20 role correct?

When we’re really into gaining something within ourselves, making time for it doesn’t become a problem. It’s a matter of motivation and discipline I think. If they can’t find the time, then I think it’s because they really don’t want to acquire something new. Not only will they hold back or hurt those around them, but will also most definitely hold themselves back.

As I come to conclude, how do you use your time to focus on a skill you want to acquire? Have your results been successful? And how did you overcome the obstacle of patiences, for those who aren’t patient? Time is very important and we have to understand that the more time we give to something the more likely the great results will be.

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