Your big ideas are way too important. So keep your plans simple.

Thinking about your big ideas light you up.

You get downright bubbly inside.

Your big ideas cause an overflow of creativity that wells up in you like a volcano on the verge of erupting smoking-hot intention.

(Picture that. You as a volcano erupting smoking-hot intention. Gone girl.)

Your big ideas are something much more than just fly-by-night thoughts or whispering daydreams.

They’re big because they:

• Compel you to take action.
• Keep you up at night.
• Contribute to the greater good of the planet and add more light to the world.
• Create a shift in the status quo.
• Are lofty and seemingly impossible.

There’s more.

Big ideas are big not because of their size, but because of the mark that they can leave.

Big ideas are big for you because you’ve never attempted them before.

Big ideas are big because they have a positive Big Real backing them up.

Check it. Recently I read Danielle LaPorte’s explanation of the Big Real and all I could do is say “Amen, sister”! Her post made me think about the Why That Makes You Cry, as I noted in one of my previous posts, 101 Ideas In My Head are Driving Me Crazy.

They matter so much that you have to treat them with care. Ironically though, when it comes to making your big ideas blossom, you say to yourself and others…

“I don’t know where to start.”

“My thoughts are all over the place.”

“I’m a little nervous about tackling it.”

Why do you allow these mental obstacles to get in the way of your big ideas?

Maybe you have a tendency to jump right into the details of your big idea and those details start scaring the mess out of you. Or maybe you have a tendency to make things way too complicated. Or here’s a perfect analogy. You try to eat the whole elephant in one sitting.

Slow down, girl. And don’t eat that elephant. Eat this instead.

Big ideas require simple plans, at least in the beginning.

Let’s consider why.

• Simple plans prevent you from getting bogged down in minutiae. Sometimes details are daunting. Isn’t it said that the “devil is in the details”? When you focus on the minutiae initially, perhaps it’s difficult to see “the forest for the trees” thus creating a greater likelihood for missteps and mistakes to occur.

Case in Point: The Women’s Event 

Sonya wanted to create a women’s event. Instead of simply identifying her audience, she went straight to lining up her panel of speakers. As a result, she got so caught up in contacting people and coordinating schedules that she became tired and decided that it wasn’t a good idea after all.

• Simple plans keep cluttered thinking in tact. Remember those 101 ideas that snuck up on you after you had an epiphany about your big idea? Remember how they drove you crazy because they caused you to be all over the place? When you’re struck by a big idea it’s often followed by a download of other ideas that can leave you feeling all over the place. In this case, you must find a way to organize and ground these ideas.

Case in Point:The Story Slam

Every time Zoe’s big idea about her story slam event surfaced, she’d get bombarded with at least 5 other ideas. Instead of taking the time to map them out, she’d let the flood of ideas swirl in her mind. Poor thing. Her unorganized thinking made her frustrated and want to nap. When she’d revisit them, she’d be confused about which ones were important. So instead of moving on the big idea, she’d remain still.

• Simple plans give big ideas space and room to evolve, flex, and adapt.Jump straight away into the details and you might find later that your big ideas have morphed into something else. You have a hard time shifting course because you actually delved too far into the details of the big ideas.

Case in Point: Movie, Munch and Mingle

Shirley had a serious love of foreign movies. At some point, she developed a strong desire to share this interest with her friends. She started a monthly film club called Movie, Munch and Mingle where she’d invite a small group of folks to her home so that they could break bread, watch a foreign movie, and discuss it afterwards. She wanted a free-spirited vibe so she didn’t overthink how to pull it off. She let it happen. Three months later, her big idea morphed into a community-sponsored, monthly international movie night at her local high school.

• Create a mind map that outlines 4 key aspects of your idea.

🌺 What is the big idea? (Main point of the idea)

🌺 How will you approach it? (Method, tasks, techniques)

🌺 Why is it important? (Significance)

🌺 Who is an ally that can support your efforts? (Relationship/community.)

• Embrace the 4 Secrets to Make Your Ideas Blossom which were intended to be a simplistic method of planning around your big ideas.

• If it’s an event, plan the first hour. If it’s a book, list the title of the chapters. If it is a blog post, note the key points you want to convey.

• Write a list of tasks and prioritize them based on how easy they are to accomplish. Do the easy stuff first.

After you’ve implemented the simple plans and charted the course, then start on the details. Buy that planner with all the productivity features. Start using software that’ll serve as your project management tool. Convene the meeting of all key players. Hire the business coach to help you develop your marketing plan.

Your big ideas should start with simple, no sweat, no fuss, piece of cake plans.

This fosters a simplicity so that details don’t get the best of you and cause you to give up on your big ideas. When you embrace simple plans, the devil in the details may no longer look spooky.

Girl have your say. What resonated with you in this post? What will you decide to do about your big ideas now? How will you keep it simple, sweetie? Journal your answers for a personal reflection. Leave your comment below or on the Facebook page for a group exchange. Email me at zoe@gonegirlgo.com for a private exchange with me.