Ideas Are Valueless

I've often thought of myself as an idea guy. It's a pride point that my brain is a never ending spigot of creative movement. But for so long, I've kept the vast majority of them to myself. And so many times, I've looked down at my journal and envisioned an idea that could be something unique and different and fun and exciting... and then it gets relegated to the back while a new, shiny idea pulls into my brain garage. So when I heard coffee expert James Hoffmann mention in an Ali Abdaal podcast that "ideas are valueless without good execution" it hit me; and it hurt a bit. Here's this "skillset" I always thought I was good at, and he was reminding me of something I already knew, but never wanted to face: The "idea" is only valuable when it's put into practice. That's the hard part. That's where all the infinite variables of life start to get in the way. But it's also the exciting part. It's where it actually becomes useful, tangible and even social. And it's also where the happiness chemicals seem to kick in. Just sitting back and dreaming of an idea actually creates a strong angst in me. I start to long for the day when I actually accomplish these imagined goals; I get lost in daydreams, and my not achieving those dreams slowly creates a cloudier existence... until everything looks like rain. And while it takes a while to build up the courage to chase some of these ideas, when I actually do, I always find this great sunny enthusiasm (at the start). As if I've been looking at a treasure map of an island and finally given myself a ship to cross the waters. Most often, the idea wasn't as great as I thought it was. It wasn't as life changing as I thought it would be. The execution was harder than I imagined it to be. And then I grab my journal, and the process starts all over again... just hopefully one step closer this time.