ideas are like sea turtles

by | Aug 19, 2016 | Running a Business | 27 comments

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Our family has been watching through the series Planet Earth on Netflix.  Our world is so intricate and fascinating and bizarre and majestic.

We were watching a segment on baby sea turtles – how the eggs are laid in the sand and, at just the right time, they break free from their shell and race towards the ocean.  I’m watching these little turtles scurry in the sand, focused on their destination, hopeful and determined.  Their scurrying does have a joyful quality to it in my estimation.

And then, they confront the waves.

They are going full speed ahead in their joyful scurry and a wave pounds into them, turns them upside down, pushes them back, and disorients.  They recover and repeat until they either make it or they don’t.

As I was watching those sea turtles, it struck me…

Those sea turtles are like my ideas!!  There they are, described in nature better than any words can articulate.

They hatch and race ahead until they are battered and tested.  Only the strongest reach their destination.

As I was watching some of the little turtles struggle against the seemingly impossible force of the waves, my heart ached a little.  I want all of them to make it.  Turtles and ideas alike!  I want them to be victorious and to have a long life full of realized potential.

But, as all entreprenuers, creatives, dreamers, and big thinkers know, all ideas don’t make it.  In fact, most of them don’t.

In the studio, I refer to that collection as “The Graveyard of Good Ideas”.   They are the ideas that just couldn’t make it past the breakers.  Or, they made it into the deep water, only to be swallowed by a predator.

As a dreamer, that’s sometimes hard for me.

If you’re someone who has more ideas than hours to execute them, I’m sure you can relate, too.  And all of those unrealized ideas or ideas that didn’t make it to full maturity can feel like failures.

So, some things for you and I to keep in mind…

The period of testing is beneficial.  

Can you image if you were able to pursue every single idea you ever scribbled in a notepad?  I don’t know about you, but my life would be bursting at the seams.  I can say with confidence that all of the ideas would end up being lame, because I wouldn’t be able to give them each the time they deserve.

That time of testing shows me when ideas are good, but they aren’t good for right now, or maybe they aren’t as good as another idea.  The fact that not all ideas “make it”, means I can focus on the ones that do make it and spend my time on those.

Just because ideas fail doesn’t mean they aren’t good.  

Even though my ideas go to “The Graveyard”, they can be resurrected.  (I just realized we’re transitioning from sea turtles to zombies.  Nice, Marian.)  Anyway, I still feel a lift of excitement at some of my ideas that didn’t make it and that tells me that their time may still come down the road.

Don’t be afraid to try something again.  It just may be the perfect time for it now.

the mustard seed pages

Ideas that make it are worth investing in.

It is really, really hard to get most ideas past that time of testing, whether it’s a time issue, money issue, etc., so when you get an idea past that point, it’s worth investing in it; taking the time to nurture it and make sure it grows to a point where it can be largely self-sufficient, so you can work on new ideas.

missmustardseed-22

Lastly, don’t get discouraged.

I absolutely love hearing about successful, amazing, and talented people who had to push past doubts expressed by others or their own shortcomings.  There are so many great stories of success that are littered with failures along the way.

Enter into those brainstorming sessions knowing that.  Most of them will fail.  Most of them won’t even get a fighting chance.

That’s okay, though.  That means the ones that do make it are truly special.

And you should feel good about that.

So, fill those napkins with notes, record those voice memos, and sketch out what you envision.

You just never know which idea is going to make it.

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    27 Comments

    1. Susan

      I kind of thought you were one of those rare people who could execute ALL of your ideas! Glad to know you’re human like the rest of us. Ha! Care to share any examples from your “Graveyard”?

    2. Betsy @ Happily Ever After, Etc.

      I really needed this post today since I spent most of the afternoon trying to nail down a schedule to finish a big project I have going on. Hopefully this is the point where we push the big project past the breakers and it becomes self-sufficient! Thanks for the inspiration!

    3. Victoria

      My friend sent me a quote the other day. “Don’t worry that your idea is stupid or no one will like it. Remember, someone once sat in a meeting and said “why don’t we make a movie about a tornado full of sharks”” ?

      • Sue Pagels

        That’s funny!!

    4. Jennifer Phillips

      Sometimes there are so many ideas that you freeze and don’t make a move on any of them for fear of failure. How do you push through that fear?

      Jennifer

    5. Kim

      Now that is a beautifully written blog post. And it means a lot to an “idea person” like me! 🙂

      • Michelle Nason

        DITTO And a dreamer like Me…. 🙂 God is so good… He speaks to us in so many ways… I really needed to hear this. As a close the door on one chapter in my life and look toward the future to what lies ahead.

    6. Amy Joanne Mogish

      enjoyed your post today Marian (well…everyday), keeps us creatives moving forward! Thank you bunches! Amy

    7. Jane Allen

      Very encouraging on a day that I need it. Thank you

    8. Cindy

      Just what I needed as well, Marian! Thank you so much for putting into words just what we all needed to hear. I am encouraged!

      Signed,
      Cindy, at “A Minute to Restore” (my blog that has been in the baby-sea-turtle-trying-to-get-into-the-sea stage for longer than I want to admit!)

    9. Deana

      Really enjoyed your Post today.
      And yes those old ideas that just do not work out during the time you try and put them together,Well as I always say ” it is just not time for you yet. Soon You will be resurrected In a much better Project.
      Would also love to see some of your idea that went to the Grave Yard.

    10. Cathy J

      Very encouraging.. Thanks so much for sharing your journey with us!!

    11. Songbirdalicia

      Any encouraging words out there for a 68 year old who still believes she can begin using her creativity restoring old chairs and odds and ends for resale on the internet. I love the idea but have yet to move forward. I believe my autumn years are my best yet!

      • marian

        I know it’s over-simplifying things, but just do it! Start with one piece of furniture and let it grow from there, as much or as little as you want. Remember that everyone starts somewhere! 🙂 You can do it!

        • songbirdalicia

          Thank YOU! I’ll do it!

    12. Naomi S.

      Great post, Marian. Inspiring and encouraging. I have been wanting for several years to do furniture restoration like Songbirdalicia. Hasn’t happened. Lack of time? Well, maybe. There is a lot to do with my Grandma duties with my four grandsons–five and under. But that has been tapering off as they’ve gotten a little older. Then there’s the job of downsizing and decluttering my house so I could put it on the market if I decided to. Big, time-consuming job! And I don’t really have any good place to work on furniture. Maybe if I get the basement decluttered……and on and on.

      I think maybe part of the problem for me is thinking I have to tackle something big and complicated and have a large block of time to do it when, really, I need to break it down into smaller pieces that require less time. For instance, I could set one afternoon a week to make a step in the direction of doing a project. Get the paint and assemble tools. Next week, deecide how to prepare the piece and do as much of that as I can. See, it just takes a whole lot of consistent baby steps and soon I will have completed a first project. And if I really enjoyed doing it I will set aside a day the following week and begin another one.

      I don’t know if this all makes sense to anyone else, especially you, Songbirdalicia! But I am 72 and I’m not about to give up because I’m too old! So, let’s just do it!

      • Kathleen Adams

        I have always had many, many projects and ideas for projects going all at once. I maintain lists and drawings on notepads…lots of them. I make a weekly list and cross off various things I have accomplished while adding more as well! For as much as I get done, priorities change and my interests can wain too. All and all, I really enjoy the process and consider that a “win” in addition to the final products.
        Just doing it, at 62!

    13. songbirdalicia

      And thank you, my young friend (72 the new 50) for your encouragement!!!! All this advice makes so much sense.

    14. Deb

      The more ideas I have the more discouraged I get. I seem to help people with their ideas and support their progress. Everyone needs help and support along the way.
      Does this mean The Mustard Seed Pages are coming back?

      • marian

        Yes, I am planning to bring them back! I need to get a lot of technical work done to my site before I can do it and make sure I have support in place to make that idea work the way I wanted it to originally, but it was a good idea that made it “past the breakers”, it just sort of floundered when I couldn’t give it the attention it needed.

    15. PJ

      Lovely post! One of the upsides of growing older is that it becomes easier to step out of one’s comfort zone and try new things. I believe it is because we care less about what others think as we grow wiser.

    16. Debbie H.

      Such an inspiring post, Marion. I don’t think you can possibly know how helpful and encouraging you are to so many. Thank you for ALL that you do for so many! God bless.

    17. Heather

      I so needed to read this today Marian!! Thank you! I love the sea turtle analogy… It’s perfect. Have a great weekend!!

    18. Peggy

      I just read a quote recently from George Lucas, “If others say it’s impossible, you’re on the right track!”

    19. Melissa Mundy

      Just beautiful. God Bless

    20. Mindy

      Encouraging post for this dreamer with ideas galore!

    21. Tanya

      “Can you image if you were able to pursue every single idea you ever scribbled in a notepad?”

      Yes! I imagine this often! But you are right, life would be overwhelmingly full without room for other things, like family. It is hard to pursue something when resources, especially time, are limited. But doing one step at a time and building slowly is the right path. It’s just hard to remember that when more ideas fill the notebooks every day. Sometimes I feel like I, not my ideas, am the sea turtle trying to survive. Focus and determination win in the end. Thank you for this post.

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