"Our unconscious minds are funny things. They give us these ideas out of the blue, but then our conscious self has to figure out what to do with them. The answer is to send ‘em back to our unconscious and see if it keeps nagging us about it."
I've never heard this called out in this way before. I think I've done it on many occasions, but always with the feeling that I'm neglecting a duty rather than applying the proper restraint to the process. This will make it easier to cooperate with the natural process.
Another way the unconscious pushes me is through dreams at night. The communication is in imagery and metaphor, of course, so there's often some work to figure them out. Chat GPT helps, though!
Really enjoyed this post, Bob, thank you! Your point on it being easy to fool yourself I think is a critical one. Our brains like to frame and process things in a way that feels safe and validates our ideas, and many people (several of the founders I've met in my life included) attach their ideas to their identity, their self-worth. The assumed or perceived pain of failing either becomes to much to overcome, and the ideas never make it out of their head; or they ignore the realities of what could happen, narrowing the available perspective for navigating bringing their idea to life and thriving.
Your Self-identification point is a great one. That's what can also prevent the thousands of little pivots needed for any starter idea to get to a successful finish.
I love this advice for checking your own big ideas. It’s so hard to evaluate your own ideas objectively, but I think you’ve given some solid advice here. Especially the callout that you’re not “validating” your idea, you’re attempting to kill it.
"Our unconscious minds are funny things. They give us these ideas out of the blue, but then our conscious self has to figure out what to do with them. The answer is to send ‘em back to our unconscious and see if it keeps nagging us about it."
I've never heard this called out in this way before. I think I've done it on many occasions, but always with the feeling that I'm neglecting a duty rather than applying the proper restraint to the process. This will make it easier to cooperate with the natural process.
Another way the unconscious pushes me is through dreams at night. The communication is in imagery and metaphor, of course, so there's often some work to figure them out. Chat GPT helps, though!
Really enjoyed this post, Bob, thank you! Your point on it being easy to fool yourself I think is a critical one. Our brains like to frame and process things in a way that feels safe and validates our ideas, and many people (several of the founders I've met in my life included) attach their ideas to their identity, their self-worth. The assumed or perceived pain of failing either becomes to much to overcome, and the ideas never make it out of their head; or they ignore the realities of what could happen, narrowing the available perspective for navigating bringing their idea to life and thriving.
Your Self-identification point is a great one. That's what can also prevent the thousands of little pivots needed for any starter idea to get to a successful finish.
I love this advice for checking your own big ideas. It’s so hard to evaluate your own ideas objectively, but I think you’ve given some solid advice here. Especially the callout that you’re not “validating” your idea, you’re attempting to kill it.
YES, the dreaded V-word!!
So glad I got to fail on a number of these with you! Always felt like failing forward when all said and done.
Cheers to that, brother! Love the "fall forward" idea.