Here’s a fun exercise that’s helped hundreds of people launch their solo
businesses. To maximize its results, allow yourself at least 24 hours for the
images to simmer in the back of your mind.
Begin by finding a quiet spot, where you won’t be distracted. Pull out a
pad of paper and a pen to jot down your ideas, and get comfortable.
Think of yourself as going fishing—you’re out on a big boat, surrounded by
miles and miles of ocean. With a wide, powerful sweep of your arm, you cast
your net across the water’s surface, and you watch it slowly disappear. As it
sinks, you have confidence that it is going deep into areas that will catch
all sorts of ideas and memories for you to use in planning your new solo
adventure.
Now, as the net sinks deeper and deeper, let your mind sink deeper into
your memories. Let your mind flow as you answer the ten questions that follow:
Think back to when you were young. See yourself on the school playground.
Who was that person back then? What were you like? What interested you? Did
you have a favorite sport or subject in school? A favorite toy? Jot down some
memories of those times.
What awards or achievements have you received in your life that gave you
special pleasure? These don’t have to be only major events—the y could include
that star you got on your second-grade spelling test. Try to remember what it
was that brought you that recognition and how you felt receiving it.
Come back to the present and consider the things you do as easily as
breathing and walking. What are the activities that you don’t even have to
think about to do well? Don’t be hard on yourself here—everyone has things to
put on this list.
Imagine that you have ended up on a desert island. But this is a magic
desert island, where you can bring anything or anyone you want. What and/or
whom did you bring?
What things do you do that draw compliments from others? Try to recall
their voices as they told you the compliment and what you were doing. Also try
to remember how you felt when they said those won derful words.
Think back to some of your most recent pleasurable experiences. What common
key ingredients were in them?
If someone asked you to name some of your favorite group activities, what
would they be?
You have been given the magic power to design your perfect day. What would
you do? Take your time to design this day. Would you get up early with the
sunrise or sleep in? Would you spend it outdoors or inside? Alone or with
friends? A few friends or many? What activities would you do? Now, if this
were not a single day but every day, how might you design it?
What can you talk about for hours and hours, until your friends say,
"Enough already!"?
If money were no matter, how would you create your life? Or, as one of my
seminar participants asked, "If every job paid a million dollars, what would
you do?"
As you do this exercise, take time to fully answer each question. If
nothing comes to you right now, mentally carry the question with you during
the next 24 hours. Ideas may come to you right before you go to sleep or just
upon waking— or even in your dreams.
It’s also important to write your answers down on paper. We all think we
remember ideas, but they escape so easily. When you write something down, it
takes on a different attitude—more concrete, more possible. The process of
writing often brings a clarity to your thoughts, because you need to express
in words what this fuzzy idea is all about. So keep a small notebook or pad
nearby as you go through this exercise period.
Don’t count anything out when the memories or ideas come to you—they will
all come together to give you a sense of who you are and the solo work that
will bring you satisfaction. I remember several years ago when I started to
focus on remembering my childhood games and toys. Slowly I began to recall how
interested I was in connect-the-dots pictures. I enjoyed seeing what the
connections made, and I could do them for hours. As I reflected on those
memories over the next few days, I realized that my childhood diversion was
now my focus on connecting people with others to help them accomplish their
entrepreneurial dreams.
What were your childhood interests? Are you a budding architect who spent
stacking blocks or building tree forts? Did you count everything in sight,
and now are considering an accounting service? Were you the kid who could
name every single model of car on the road, and now dream about restoring
antique cars?
Isn’t it funny how often we are able to see great things in others and not
in ourselves? Persevere to find those things in yourself that others see.
Don’t be afraid to make a long list of ideas, some that you think are way too
foolish or impractical for a business. You may not end up using that silly
idea, but it could be the one that’s just a single step away from the one you
are searching for.
Brainstorming sessions with others can also yield ideas. Invite others to
give you feedback on your ideas. Ask those who know you well—a mentor,
colleagues, friends, relatives—about the qualities they value in you and the
business activities they see you doing.
This review period is a time of no evaluation or refusals—everything is
allowed. You’ll have plenty of time later to whittle the list. For now, stay
open to the possibilities.
