Can I trust?

Hi Andy

Thanks for your contribution - just a few thoughts for you:

·                     Have you ever earned any entrepreneurial income outside your job? Doing that is important and help you identify whether you like it or not – it could be that you are a bit of both – part of you enjoys the being joyfully jobless and part of you likes employment so don’t try and shoe-horn yourself

·                     What keeps inspiration alive in my experience is action. Inspiration will fade went we aren’t proactive and don’t keep the momentum going, so what you describe is normal

·                     I think we all have ideas that come and go – we can learn to focus on the ones that prevail and keep returning – for you it sounds like skiing – so that seems like the one to focus on – being as you are involved in it already! What would you love to do in that world?

Don’t know if that helps

Nick

Hi Andy

I wanted to throw my two-penneth in.  I have read all Nick's books, rather than Barbara Winters.   I'm a tad over 50 and have drifted around the edge on one profession for nearly 30 years.  Reading Nick's books some months back and reflecting on what really stood out for me among the numerous exercises, was the suggestion that one tried to go back in time to a place before you had tried things which worked out so-so or not at all.  What was your passion before someone suggested you scale back your ideas or before you had stumled over an obstacle you were not, at that time, well equipped to surmount?  Doing that exercise really helped me to reconnect with passions from an early stage in my life when I had been frustrated and as a consequence my passions had not been satisfied.  Returning now I can side step the earlier stumbling block and bring a more mature set of skills to bear to use the reignited passsion to bring fulfillment (I hope).

Sue

Hi Andy

Wow!  What great ideas!

A couple of questions to consider which might unlock you:

i) what could you NOT live without (sounds like ski-ing is one thing!)

ii) what have you had/done in life that's left you 'cold' - ie wouldn't do it again....

Reviewing these two questions may give you some clarity.

Best wishes

Sharon

www.sharonlangford.com

I would also recommend 'What do I do when I want to do everything?' a brill book by Barbara Sher.

It's normal as an entrepreneur to have a thousand ideas a day. Enjoy it, keep all your ideas in a note book, but concentrate on what makes you feel great, and do one thing till it makes money while keeping other interests going in the background.....! You can a so hav ea job that doesn't light you up just until you get other projects going.

The website www.authentichappiness.com has a great quiz about your 'signature strengths' which really helped me. Do it and it may point you to why somehtings don't fit, whereas others do.

It's OK to not want something, just keep looking and experimenting to get something better that makes you feel GREAT!

Claire

http://www.happynurses.co.uk

Hi Andy,

Gosh, this really resonated with me. 

Yes I too have had numerous ideas over the years, the majority of which I have shelved after a short initial burst (of sometimes overwhelming) inspiration and enthusiasm.  I've never understood it either. 

One of my ideas was to write a book containing all my brilliant ideas so that someone else could run with them!!

I've also had ideas that I haven't acted on and then felt miffed that someone else has - and made a success of it!

Some of the ideas I had did re-emerge - sometimes years later, and for whatever reason - the 'time was right' perhaps? - or I was 'ready' - I then felt more confident about the idea and my ability to make it work.  My philosophy is not to worry about it all too much or try to figure it out.  and definitely not to beat myself up about it (though I have ranted and raved and berated myself on many occasion for my seeming 'lack of motivation'). 

I believe that when the time is right and you are ready, the 'right' idea will present itself and you will then have the energy and enthusiasm to persue it and keep at it.  In the meantime, don't angst about it (as I have sometimes!), just be as happy as you can be, doing what you're doing, with your eye on your vision for your ideal future.  I think the happier we can be, the more life flows and 'works' for us.  If you don't know exactly what form you'd like your 'ideal future/work' to take then just imagine yourself beaming with joy as often as you can.  Soon you'll be beaming with joy in work you love (and with a fabulous income) i'm sure.

Claire

PS there is a quote from Abraham-Hicks that i love and I'm not sure if it's ok reproduce it here (I'm sure Abraham would understand but copyright laws might not), but the gist of it is that Everything we do is meant to bring us joy.  If we don't see something through then it's because it's no longer joyful!  However, when we are in alignment with something (the 'right' thing if you like, e.g. we are doing 'the work we were born to do') then it is joyful/fulfilling/exciting/fires us up from the very beginning, and all the way through to completion. 

I read your post and the whole way through I was thinking I do that...and that..! I have mini projects on so many business ideas that I've really thought about, researched, told people about and then shelved - literally, they're in my bookshelf now. So much so that now I am quite sure my entire family are all groaning when they hear I am working on yet another plan! It's got  so bad, I don't even tell them my plans anymore! They have never said anything but I can hear them not saying it! I think though you and I are suffering from a mixture of not knowing what is the right thing to do and making excuses not to start things. One thing I am 100% sure of is that if we don't have ideas and make plans we definately won't achieve anything!  I am so determined to do something!! I have posted a post (??) today to seek some help with it. I only joined today and haven't worked out how this all works yet but I would love to add you to my friends lists and maybe we could help each other decide on an idea and jump off the starting block?