The Revelation Revolution
Author: Amy House
Holy Moly! I love when a great idea is just dropped into my head! Talk about energy and excitement! WOOO HOOO! But have you noticed something about the revelation? It happens when it isn’t convenient. It happens when you are limited on time. It happens when you don’t have the mechanisms to capture it. While the revelation can be awe inspiring and exciting, it can also be frustrating, overwhelming and sometimes…. scary.
So, let’s talk about how to make the revelation a powerful revolution in your business.
BAM! You just got the idea. It just hit you smack dab in the forehead. It is the solution to the problem. It is the next step to grow your business. It is the next piece of the puzzle. And boy, this thing is exciting! You can’t believe you haven’t thought of it before. Why did you see it? This is going to solve so many problems. Only, a few problems…
It either happened as you were driving, and you can’t write it down.
You were sitting on the toilet and while you have toilet paper…no pen.
It woke you up at 2am. You think you can remember it until tomorrow and you don’t want to turn on the light because it will wake up your family.
Sound familiar?
Next thing that happens….
You are busy. Like crazy busy. How are you supposed to implement this?
Or maybe you go to several meetings and try to remember what you thought…but it is gone!!!
The idea is SO BIG you know you don’t have the money or expertise. WHY did you even think this would work?
Here is how I FINALLY figured out how to make “revelations” work for me. I assigned “rules” and systems to capture them. Nothing earth-shattering…but simple tools to help me capture, process and implement. Here we go:
1. Capture
We just don’t have the conscious bandwidth we think we have. We don’t even have great “filing systems” in our heads that help us recall information. We are pretty short-term thinkers. So, I use notebooks. I carry one in my purse. I have one on my nightstand. I keep one on my desk. I have one in my living room. I keep paper in my car. I text things to myself. The key isn’t HOW you capture. You just need to capture. Keep a pen in the bathroom for goodness sakes! Voxer yourself. WHATEVER!
The idea behind capturing is so that you have a record. You have a mechanism to help you recall. Don’t worry about details. Just get the CORE of the thought.
2. Journal
Journal that puppy out. Don’t try to immediately implement. In fact, I have finally figured out that some revelations aren’t about RIGHT NOW…they are about 6 months from now. They are about next year. If I take the captured CORE and spend time thinking…processing…planning…making lists. I usually figure out how to best implement. I figure out who and what is for. I discover answers to other problems. I see how I may not have the resources NOW, but I have most of what I need to start. The overwhelm disappears the more I understand the idea and how I would use it.
The idea behind processing is to give yourself time to comprehend. Most ideas and revelations are God-sized. It takes time for us to understand what we are given.
3. Implementation
This one is a no brainer. For me, the key to this step is to actually put it on my calendar in bite-sized pieces. It does two things….I actually start DOING the thang. And I realize it is DO-ABLE. (By the way, do you use a planner? We got some great ones…. just sayin’. Check out our shop!)