7 Ways to Nurture the Seeds of Your Ideas
Your ideas are like seeds – they are tiny, hard to see, and need special care in order to develop into something big and beautiful. When you first get an idea, you may be tempted to ignore it or throw it away because it doesn’t seem big enough or good enough to take action on. But just like seeds, ideas can grow and blossom if you give them the attention and nourishment they need. Here’s how to nurture your ideas from start to finish so that they become the creative thoughts and projects that can make your life more fulfilling.
1) Give Yourself Time to Dream
Ideas are often born from a personal experience, an exploration into a new field, or simply from your own imagination. The best ideas come about when you let your mind wander and think about things that interest you. It’s important to give yourself time every day to dream and explore, but it can also be beneficial to set aside time once a week specifically for this purpose.
1) Keep a notebook handy – Whether it’s in your office, bedroom or sitting on your desk at work, make sure there is always something nearby where you can jot down new thoughts and ideas as they arise. You’ll be surprised how many times ideas will pop up while you’re in the midst of doing other tasks.
2) Make a List of Your Ideas
- Nurturing your ideas is a process that involves being constantly aware of your thoughts and feelings, even when they’re not related to a specific idea. 2. Keep a journal or diary with you at all times so you can write down what goes on in your mind, no matter how trivial it may seem. 3. When an idea pops into your head, document it by writing about it in as much detail as possible–the more information you put down, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to bring it back later and make something out of it. 4.
3) Take a Break
It’s important to take a break from time-to-time. A small break, like taking a walk or meditating, can help clear your head and give you new perspective. But if you feel your work is too overwhelming and it’s hard for you to focus, then try taking a larger break–a whole day off, or even a week or two. You may be surprised how much more productive you will be afterward.
4) See Things from a Different Perspective
- Take a Break – If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all your thoughts and ideas, take a break. Maybe go for a walk or have some tea with a friend. It’s important not to let yourself get burnt out so it’s good idea to take frequent breaks and re-charge your energy levels. This will also help give you new perspective on how you can approach the problem from a different angle which might allow for some insight into what you may be missing. 2. Brainstorm – Take 5 minutes and write down every single idea that comes to mind, no matter how crazy they seem or how unoriginal they are.
5) Get Feedback from Others
- Find a partner or mentor who can provide honest feedback.
- Listen to your gut instincts, but also have someone else read over your work and give you feedback.
- Use a writer’s notebook or journal, which allows you to write freely and then edit later on if needed.
- Make time for your ideas! Put them in your calendar so they don’t get forgotten at the last minute.
- Write down any idea that comes into your mind, even if it doesn’t make sense at first – often times it will come back when you least expect it!
6) Take Action
- Write down your idea.
- Share it with someone you trust and get their opinion.
- Share it with at least one other person, outside your circle or social media network and see what they think about it.
- Don’t worry about perfection. Just share what you have so far with others who might be able to help you make it a reality.
- Take notes on what people say about your idea and how they react when you talk to them about it – this will help you refine your idea as well as understand people better in general.
7) Let Your Ideas Evolve
Don’t get discouraged if you don’t have a million dollar idea right off the bat. Ideas evolve and change as they grow. Just because you had an idea for a novel doesn’t mean that’s what you’re going to end up writing, or even want to write. As your ideas grow, so will your passion for them, so nurture them and let them evolve into their own thing!