When I brainstormed an article about my 30-year yogaversary, I wanted to include an excerpt from my journal. I know the date of my first day of yoga, and I was curious to share my day one thoughts about it.
I put off finding the excerpt. After months of avoidance, I forayed into the boxes of my journals — hundreds of notebooks going back to 1991, in no real order.
You might recognize yourself in this: I got absorbed in reading my long-ago words. Insight, validation, nostalgia, curiosity took over and before you know it, I’d spent an hour soaking in the past.
Finally, I found the notebook from February, 1996. But after going through every page, I didn’t find the excerpt.
I didn’t want to let go of my bright idea to include my original impulse around yoga. But I also didn’t want to go back into the archives. I had to surrender the idea and publish the article without it.
Two signs an idea should be ditched
Our ‘great’ ideas carry a lot of electric juice for us. They feel so exciting! But when it comes to executing on the idea, there’s a drag, a disinclination. We put it off. If you aren’t taking action on your great idea, see if it can be downsized or released.
Is the great idea masking something else? The idea sparked my sense of ‘clever’. Oh how I love that! Whenever ‘clever’ or ‘smart’ is the lead impetus for an idea, it might be covering up our insecurities. The truth is, I was nervous about the article. I thought the excerpt would do work that my writing wouldn’t. Pay attention to the other emotions under the surface that contribute to the writing.
A great idea could be all kinds of things. You need to interview someone. You need to find archival photos. You need more facts and data. While all of that may feel urgent and seem legit, the most powerful step you can take with your writing is to start writing.
Bottom line: don’t get derailed by a great idea. If you’re spending more time figuring out how the project should look than actually writing, set the idea aside and do the inky labor. Then see if that idea NEEDS to live as it did in your mind.
What helps you let go of your ‘great’ ideas? Let us know.
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