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Don't Self Sabotage Your Own Ideas

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You’ve heard of the five stages of grief – but, have you heard about the five stages to realise a breakthrough idea? Perhaps they’re related… Marla Tabaker is a business coach who states: ‘Breakthrough thinking isn’t born of doubt and fear, it’s born of the ability to let go, remove limits, suspend judgment, and believe in your unique vision’. She describes the five stages that entrepreneurs go through to achieve their breakthrough idea. We then highlight the pitfalls and provide strategies to zap that little voice in your head that says ‘It won’t work’. ‘You’ll lose your money’. Blah! Blah! Blah! These are the five stages of a Breakthrough Idea: Stage #1 – Elation: This is where you are filled with positive feelings and can almost taste the success. You’ve come up with a top idea that should boost sales and life is good. Pitfall #1: Listening to the little voice inside your head that says: ‘What if it doesn’t work?’ How will I pay the mortgage?’ Strategy #1: Take your time – enjoy these feelings of elation. These positive feelings feed your energy and passion, so embrace them. Stage #2: Exploration: This is the stage where you need to explore every aspect of the product and your market to be sure it is viable. Pitfall #2: Failing to look for new uses. Strategy #2: Look for how you can incorporate the original idea with new markets. Many breakthrough ideas have been generated when the original idea was a flop, but a new and better one replaced it. Read the inspiring story of how a failed adhesive was transformed into Post-it Notes.  Stage #3: Doubt and Fear: This is the stage where your inner voice tells you to drop the project. Pitfall #3: Giving up. Strategy #3: To overcome this negative mindset, surround yourself with positive people. Find a coach, mentor or positive peer to get you back on the right track.  Stage #4 – Failure: Disappointments along the way are normal, but may seem like ‘failure’ and it’s easy to just give up. Pitfall #4: Giving in to irrational fear of failure. Strategy #4: Open your mind to possibilities and go back to the drawing board. Perseverance is the key here.  Stage #5: Breakthrough! Congratulations! This may seem like the end of the project, but it’s simply the beginning of the next level of growth. Pitfall #5: Sitting on your laurels when there’s still work to do. Strategy #5: Now, it’s critical to take stock. Note what you’ve learned, who you‘ve met and how this will benefit you for future projects. Have you documented the entire process? Good Luck! Read Marla’s inspiring article here

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