06 Jul From Dream to Reality: How to Successfully Launch Your Ideas, Part Two

Have you ever found yourself riding the thrilling wave of a brilliant idea, only to experience it suddenly becoming a daunting challenge? An exhilarating beacon of inspiration seemingly morphs into a draining endeavor that tests your passion and perseverance. If this resonates, let me introduce you to the second phase of your project journey: Liftoff.

Liftoff is a critical transition point, a phase that challenges your idea and commitment, resilience, and resourcefulness. It’s the point where the abstract meets the concrete, strategy becomes action, and dreams start to don the robes of reality.

This phase is not for the faint-hearted. It will test you, demand your best, and may even appear to sap your energy and drive. Yet, remember this —  Liftoff is also the stage that refines your idea, solidifies your vision, and propels you toward achieving your aspirations.

So, strap in and embrace the journey. Liftoff is but a necessary passage that leads toward the sweet rewards of success. Welcome to Stage Two of your project: Liftoff.

In Part One, we briefly touched upon the Liftoff stage. Today, we’re going deeper into its core so that you can approach it with greater clarity, focus, ease, and grace, the four cornerstones of genuine success.

A hallmark of Liftoff is that it demands a far more significant energy investment than initially anticipated, to create results. Some compare the experience to basking on a warm beach only to be hit by a cold wave of water. Here’s how Rick explained it:

Rick: My dream was a simple but beautiful cheesecake bakery business. These delectable creations would be bite-sized, offering customers the luxury of enjoying two or three flavors from a variety of ten flavors. But in transforming this vision into reality, the energy requirement seemed huge! 

Remember, the Liftoff stage can feel like a sudden, unexpected wave. But much like the ocean, it is a force of nature that shapes and refines us, propelling us toward our ultimate entrepreneurial success. That is, if we’re willing to ride the wave!

When you know about this stage and plan for the Liftoff experience, it doesn’t have to frustrate or demoralize you. When it’s challenging to produce results, you may fool yourself into thinking that the project is a waste of your energy. In fact, this is the time to focus on the methods to bring your dream to physical reality! Here’s how to do it.

The Energy Requirements for Liftoff

Picture this: A rocket is preparing for launch, sitting tall and majestic against the backdrop of the clear blue sky. The engines ignite, and it surges upwards, burning the majority of its fuel in those initial, crucial moments to overcome the pull of gravity. This scene paints a compelling picture of your project’s energy requirements in the Liftoff stage.

Let’s explore the different forms of energy necessary to catapult your idea into reality.

1. Money: Consider money as a type of energy defined by its capacity to accomplish work in physical reality. For instance, when you hire your neighbor’s kid to mow your lawn for $20, the task is completed without you lifting a finger.
2. Time: Time is another form of energy, particularly in our fast-paced society. It shares a parallel relationship with money: we can spend, waste, or save them both. Thirty years ago, lack of money was the primary reason for not taking a vacation. Today, money is trailing behind the energy of time.
3. Physical Vitality: This energy we derive from physical well-being. Ever feel too exhausted to indulge in your favorite activities? Physical vitality involves nurturing a relationship with your body that facilitates doing what you love. Launching a new business, writing a book, or training to be a professional coach during the Liftoff stage can be physically taxing. However, it is this energy that allows us to savor life’s pleasures, from a scenic hike to snorkeling in Hawaii’s clear waters.
4. Creativity: Creativity is an energy form that infuses your project with innovation and resilience. It’s the driving force behind designing your project and ensuring it thrives amidst the unpredictable nature of reality. Especially during the Liftoff stage, your creative energy will be instrumental in overcoming challenges and navigating the path to success.
5. Enjoyment: The concept of enjoyment as a form of energy might seem unfamiliar, but let’s delve into it. Ask yourself this: which project holds your interest? Is it the one you look forward to, believing it would be an enjoyable use of your time? Or is it the one that you dread and perceive as a time-waster? The energy derived from the enjoyment of your work can fuel your project and keep you motivated during the Liftoff stage.
6. Relationship: This form of energy revolves around the support we need to bring a project to fruition. As human beings, we flourish in communities of support, whether they are large or small. Consider launching a new website, opening a bakery, designing a product to market, or even learning how to swim, drive, or dance – all these activities necessitate the support of others. The energy of Relationship/Support is most acutely needed during the Liftoff phase of a project. Therefore, look for people or places that offer this supportive energy. If you are a woman, professional organizations such as the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) have programs designed to give you the information you need to start your business. The bottom line is this: if you look around for it, the energy of support can always be found.

Each of these forms of energy plays a vital role during the Liftoff stage. When you use them well, they propel your project upwards, helping you overcome the gravity of initial inertia.

People who are successful with their ideas can most easily tolerate the discomfort of running uphill. They produce results anyway, regardless of the amount of effort involved. Most of us know the story of Thomas Edison, who failed 2774 times, according to his records, before he reached a working design of an electric light bulb that could be commercially produced.  

Like a rocket launch, Liftoff can be demanding. But remember, it’s also the exhilarating beginning of your journey to the stars!

I am including parts of a project checklist to show you the optimal ways to go through Stages One and Two of your project. After working with thousands of entrepreneurs, I saw that specific points must be considered to go from one stage to the next. If you follow these points, your project will meet with success.

Stage One: Creation

• Brainstorming: Don’t leave any ideas out
• Get resources together, make contacts, network, build supportive relationships
• Clear away barriers to getting what you want, such as any incomplete business
• Make a clear goal and link it to an intention (i.e., “To be a successful entrepreneur”)
• Get alignment from significant others on your vision
• Create time and accurate scheduling; begin the project
• Secure the services of a coach and/or consultant

Stage Two: Liftoff

• Target results clearly
• Work out how to get results in doable increments
• Make small and consistent promises for authentic action
• Focus all activity on getting results: do not be distracted by other “brilliant” ideas.
• Clear away extraneous or irrelevant activity
• Remember: high level of input to low level of output
• No shortcuts
• Have a support system dedicated to your results
• Be coached whenever necessary
• Do what you said you would do regarding the results
• Delegate work and elicit authentic promises
• Acknowledge and celebrate results regularly
• Put in a system to help you handle stress: exercise, meditation, etc.

See you next week to take a deep look at Stage Three. Until then, you might conduct a “mind experiment” in which you take your project and imagine putting it through these first two stages.

Until then, go and be the fabulous person you already are!