This is to all of you out there who had a bright idea this year for a social action project. To all those who got inspired by a seminar at Momentum, challenged by a conversation at Greenbelt or had your heart broken by your holiday reading material. To all those who began September hyped about a crazy, new idea, but are now here in November, sitting back at the same old desk with that initial excitement feeling a million miles away.
Here’s five steps you can take right now to start seeing your ideas become reality:
1. Keep your eyes on the prize.
I mean this very literally, put your idea somewhere you will look every day. Write it on a post-it note and stick it on your computer or get creative with a poster and stick it on your kitchen cupboard. Keep mulling over the idea or issue and note down your new thoughts. We have thousands of ideas every day; it’s remembering them that is the challenge!
2. Find yourself a partner.
Surround yourself with people who will be inspiring mentors and helpful collaborators. You don’t want to have a conversation with someone who pats you on the head and tells you it’s a ‘nice’ idea. Instead you want to have a conversation that leaves you with answers to your questions and new problems uncovered.
3. Equip yourself with essential skills.
Use all the resources open to you to stretch your brain and expand your skill set. Particularly keep an eye out for courses such as Rooted Visionaries by St. Ethelburga’s, bringing young adults together to learn new skills and build relationships across contexts, helping you to make your social action plans more impactful and alive.
4. Engage the people you want to work with.
It is the worst feeling in the world when you realise that the people you were hoping to work with don’t actually want to know! So find out at the beginning whether it’s an idea others share, because if they do then they’re likely to be more excited than you are.
5. Lights, Camera, ACTION.
You can have the best plan in the world, but it is only when you start that you’ll ever get anywhere. So give it a go! In the worst case scenario you’ll learn that your idea might not have been that bright, but in the best case your dream might actually happen. So what are you waiting for?
*DISCLOSURE: These are not the only tips out there, just my top 5!