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" Live to start. Start to live.
Don’t Wait. Start Stuff.
People are innately passionate about certain unique aspects of life. You are innately passionate about certain unique aspects of life. And people are blessed with bouts of clear and concise intuition that drive them toward distinct goals and aspirations within their jobs and their lives as a whole.(You are not excluded from this group.)
But people disregard these inspired thoughts, these high-potential opportunities, as “just another stupid idea.”
Why?
Perhaps they are concerned about a lack of support (perceived or otherwise) from others, or maybe they are afraid of what others will think of them if they fail. Whatever the reason, they convince themselves:
“This would be a great idea for someone who has more free time.”
“This would be a great idea for someone with a higher level of education.”
“This would be a great idea for someone who has more money.”
“Everybody thinks this idea is crazy. They must be right.”
No matter the justification, the response is the same. These inspired thoughts, these high-potential ideas, are stuffed deep into the drawer labeled “stupid,” and they’re never heard from again . . . or the waiting game begins.
People wait.
They wait for that elusive day when they’ll finally have enough time (guess what? — you never will), enough education (there is always more to know), enough money (no matter how much you make, someone will always have more). They wait until the children are grown (news flash: just because they’re grown, it doesn’t mean you’re rid of them) or until things settle down at work (they never will).
People wait until . . . until . . . until . . . They wait, and they wait, and they wait, until that fateful day when they wake up and realize that while they were sitting around, paying dues, earning their keep, waiting for that elusive “perfect time,” their entire life has passed them by. "
― Richie Norton , The Power of Starting Something Stupid: How to Crush Fear, Make Dreams Happen, and Live without Regret
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" You have to be vigilant in order to stay relevant. If you remember nothing else from this chapter, remember this: if an entrepreneur, an intrapreneur, or a business leader stops leaning into stupid, doesn’t embrace necessary change and continuous improvement, and doesn’t have the courage to start fresh when necessary, he risks obsolescence. He risks setting the stage for others to swoop in and steal the show with their own amazingly stupid (and adaptive) innovations. He risks becoming extinct or, worse, irrelevant. "
― Richie Norton , The Power of Starting Something Stupid: How to Crush Fear, Make Dreams Happen, and Live without Regret
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" Your life should consist of more than commuting, working, eating, surfing the Internet, sleeping, and watching TV. Your life should be filled with purpose-driven experiences and projects that bring excitement, passion, energy, and authentic meaning and joy into your life. I hope that as you start something stupid, you will find real meaning in your life and that you will learn these three great (albeit simple) truths: Your life matters. Your life has purpose. You are meant to be happy. May this book be a source of inspiration for some of the coolest and most meaningful projects and experiences of your life! It all starts with a tiny, stupid idea, then one thing leads to another, and suddenly, you find something amazing: yourself. "
― Richie Norton , The Power of Starting Something Stupid: How to Crush Fear, Make Dreams Happen, and Live without Regret
The Power of Starting Something Stupid: How to Crush Fear, Make Dreams Happen, and Live without Regret