The Dream Project Hotline is Open
Which project should I focus on?
In January we’re accepting new members into Brainstorm Road, our community for everyday people with Dream Projects.
We’re opening up the Dream Project Hotline for the next four weeks to answer your questions about Brainstorm Road and making Dream Projects happen in real life. Have a question? We want to hear it. Send a note with the subject line “Dream Project Hotline” to hello@brainstormroad.com.
Our first submission is a question we hear a lot: I have a lot of ideas and don’t know what project to choose.
Let’s get into it.
Hi Brainstorm Road,
Thank you for taking the time to look this over. It’s always nice to get another set of eyes on your work/brain!
FULL DISCLOSURE: While “having ideas” is my strong suit. Making DECISIONS about which one(s) to pursue has long been my Achilles heel.
I’d love to take the time during Brainstorm Road to clear the clutter, get focused on a project, and see what 6 months of deliberate, daily action might create.
Here are FOUR ideas I have. I’d love any feedback on what you think is good, viable, etc. for our time together.
Expand on a podcast I started (that originally began as a book) that shares stories and ideas that move us toward one another, and up to our highest potential. Could become a blog, a book, a YouTube show, meet-ups, a movement?
A more general brand / “Me” thing as a platform to share my work
A short one-man show in three acts / Ted Talk style 15-minute talk
A project taking a look at a specific type of work of heroes
A few things have happened that make me feel like maybe #1 is my project? Maybe it’s my birthright? My Call to Adventure? Maybe #1 is MY project, to bring forth into this world, FOR this world?
I kind of feel like it is.
But I’m afraid… 😭
What should I focus on for Brainstorm Road?
Thanks,
Future Roadie
[ Enter
]Dear Future Roadie,
You’ve already answered it:
1. You know from your book turning into a podcast that you’ll start on something and it’s likely what you’ll end up with isn’t what you set out to create. So, choosing is important and unimportant. You need to pick a place to dive in and you have no idea where you’ll pop out.
2. You *feel* a pull in one direction. And you’re scared. Go there. Follow the fear and take a bet on yourself.
It’s scary to say, “I think this thing might be it and I’m going to try.” The temptation is to come up with other ideas we would be good at that keep us from having to try at the thing we feel compelled to do.
It’s scary to care. It’s much easier to make a thing we feel like we can control or keep at arm's length.
Feel the fear and do it anyway. We’ll be with you the whole way.
Kristin
Passing the mic (er, keyboard) to , our Community Lead, because he’s the best…
[Enter Rick]
Hey Future Roadie,
When we're torn between creating multiple projects, it's often our reptile brain trying to hide us from "a waste of time" by finding the "right" project. But there is no "right" project. At best, we can find the project that is the best for us "right now," and even that can be an exercise in futility.
While it's tempting to find the One Project that will rule them all, it's more helpful to pick something and get started. Why?
Because when we get caught up in trying to parse which project will be the One, we're wasting time not moving ANY of our projects forward. Got five ideas? Do them all, but get to them one at a time. When you take the energy you spend trying to figure out which project to start and spend it doing ANY project, you get more projects done.
Besides, doing 1/5 projects is better than 0/5, and if I'm looking into maximizing my chance of finding the One Project that changes my life and makes all my dreams come true, 20% is way better than 0%.
In terms of picking a project for Brainstorm Road, I suggest the project that you're most confident in finishing. Something with a predefined scope (a 10-episode podcast is better than a monthly, ongoing one). Why? Because you can leverage the community support, encouragement, and feedback to carry you through the finish line and once you cross that finish line, you build trust with yourself.
Once you see you're the type of person who can ship a project, your self-trust and confidence grow. You start to see yourself as a person who can get a project done, even amidst day jobs, kids, and all the stuff that distracts us from our dream projects. And as that identity grows, it will be easier for you to complete projects.
By focusing on a single project and building that self-trust, you're more likely to finish all of the projects you've been considering.
We can’t wait to see what you create.
Rick
Meet Your New Support System
We’re everyday people with day jobs and adult responsibilities. We also have dreams. Which is why we’re in Brainstorm Road. Get the support, weekly practice, and accountability you need to bring your Dream Project to life
The next session begins January 8th, 2024.
Discover what it feels like to have a supportive group of people championing your ideas, encouraging your progress, and ready to drop what they’re doing to help you get unstuck.
Have a question? We want to hear it. Send a note with the subject line “Dream Project Hotline” to hello@brainstormroad.com.
 | A guest post by
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Got five ideas?
Do them all,
but get to them one at a time.
This is sound wisdom from Rick (aka Mr Muti-Passionate-Multi-Projects!)