Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

You might get something out of reading Barbara Sher`s book. I Could do Anything if Only I Knew What it Was. She has a knack for guiding you to the `thing` you want to do most and how to pursue it. You may be a scanner and this could help.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

I did some browsing on the Barbara Sher book. What a great recommendation!

As I contemplated the problem, thinking about another thread regarding passion, I thought about this phrase, "Who says?" The context is that as you examine your inner "instructions" as to what you should do with your life, you question them.

Two of the most powerful words in the English language are "how," and "why." They`re fundamental to the concept of critical thinking and analysis. We`ve had a discussion about that, as well, under the "Are we getting dumber" thread. What`s happening with that whole critical thinking? Nobody knows.

Philosophy brings us a good question: Why should I do anything at all?

There again, we have the "why" word. Then there`s the whole issue of motivation. What is motivation, "how" does it work?

When you get down into the problem of having lots of ideas but not being focused on any particular one, there`s a fascinating can of worms. :-)

In an excerpt, Sher says that "a life without direction is a life without passion." I`d take issue with that, reversing it to say that a life without passion has no direction. So which comes first, the direction or the passion? Or....are they both inter-related and interchangeable?

Can we build a direction then become passionate? Is that like arranged marriages, where over time two people come to actually love each other? Is passion a "function of" direction? Or is it that passion causes direction?

Personally, I think passion has to come first. It`s that point where a particular idea or ideal captures our imagination and becomes an overriding value. Without an imagination, or when we`re afraid to be captivated by an idea, I don`t think we can develop a passion. In which case, we can`t form a long-term direction.

Have you had a look at cambrianhouse.com?

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Scott Watson.::.

Acme Data Online Backup Service     

Don`t Wait Until It Is Too Late To Recover Your Data

This actually looks like a nicely implemented "idea" site. We`ve had a number of such places come through SuN, but this one has some ease-of-use features missing from others.

I think SuN maybe is a better `idea` site, in that it gets right to the nitty-gritty of how an idea would be put into effect, what are the foreseeable complications, and so forth.

That is quite an interesting concept on the Cambrian site.  I am going to do some more exploring on it to see if I could benefit from it`s offerings.

Thanks again,

Karen

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There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love; there`s only a scarcity of resolve to make it happen.

Yes, CambrianHouse is a trip.

I`ve had many ideas that I`ve wanted to float to the community there, but none of them are fully formed.  Like you, ideas just keep popping in and out of my head ...


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Scott Watson.::.

Acme Data Online Backup Service     

Don`t Wait Until It Is Too Late To Recover Your Data

The Big Idea Group Roadshow 2007 is another place to go with your ideas.  They`ll be in Chicago in May.  Their website says you don`t even need a prototype;  you can come with an idea scribbled on a napkin.  They find manufacturers & distributors for your product.  You sign a licensing agreement with them for a specified period of time.

I have enough on my plate marketing WEDGIE but I`m thinking of attending with an idea I have in mind for a different product.  If I can protect my idea, they do all the work & I potentially can make money from it, seems worth checking out.

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Has anyone on this board ever done business with BIG?  

I am also plagued by ideas by the dozen and I keep seeing them for sale, brought to market by someone else!  It gets depressing after a while, since my failure to bring things to market is due to physical & financial limitations.

If anyone does have experience with BIG I would love to hear how it went and what the outcome was...I wonder about the royalties, is it a fair deal or??  {although doing nothing at all & watching someone else profit from the same ideas I have earns nothing lol so anything I make would be a difference!}  I currently have almost 100 ideas for inventions written down and have some CAD drawings but they just gather dust so any help is appreciated.  Virginia

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Common sense is my bitter enemy!

I was rejected by BIG last year, and I`m giving it another try in May.  Last year I just sent them a protype, and arranged for an over the phone pitch.  I`m attending their roadshow this year, and I`m looking forward to the face to face meeting.  Anyway, if you have questions I would recommend calling them.  They were very easy to contact both by phone and email, and they were really patient with all of my questions.  Good luck.

Please let us know how it goes.  I just spent the last hour looking over their site and I have to say that it seems like a great concept.  I have so many ideas that I can`t pursue them all. So my thought is, my not send a few of them their way.

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There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love; there`s only a scarcity of resolve to make it happen.