Sunday, October 18, 2009

Was it my procrastination that led to a lost opportunity?

I was very disappointed with myself last Saturday. An idea that I have been conceiving for months to create a Facilitation Tool kit and market it commercially went 'Boomz' upon realisation that a similar product was released very recently in US. With the past few sessions of workshops for different clients and schools, I realised that there was immense power with non-verbal visualisation that I harness during brainstorming with groups. That said, I was ready to collaborate with a SK who is a pretty cool photographer. We brainstormed several ideas to make this kit a holistic package for various purposes and were excited with how we could develop this commercially. We were ready to submit our joint proposal for a entrepreneur award with funding to prototype our concept. Over the weekend, I felt that my months of excitement and ideas just went down the drain when I read what the newly released package had to offer- the same ideas that I had. Can I re-focus to develop something better? How might I work on the new idea now that I know what are the various resources I have?

Thanks to Kerry Flowers- for your timely dose of humor.
I guess I just have to wait for Noah to come back to pick me up...
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2 comments:

kerry said...

John,

Ah, procrastination! Don't beat yourself up about it...there's time for that later.

OK, so you missed an opportunity. Isn't that the great thing about the Emergenetics profile that you possess? THere will be others! Ideas, creativity, innovation, putting it all together - these things come naturally to you. But not others. The world is set up for the organized. The structured. Remember Roger Sperry's statement in your Emergenetics certification...the world tends to favor the left brain at the discrimination of the right brain.
As you know, you and my wife Christy have the same profile. AFter 18 years of marriage, I have learned not just to adapt to her thinking style, but to stand in awe of it. She, like you, speaks with passion, with energy, with a genuine concern for people. Coloring in the lines? Forget it! Why do it the way it has always been done? How boring! It was no accident that the first person we talked to in Vail at the meet-n-greet was you. She needed that validation, and so do you. Let others worry about organization, to-do lists, day planners, step by step instruction. There's an old American saying in baseball, "Swing for the fence." In other words, if you are going to hit the ball, don't hold back. Let all the left brainers be cautious; let them keep perfecting the idea that you created; let them refine your brilliant strategy. The important thing is for you to not only understand who you are, but focus on your strengths.
I couldn't resist reading the rest of your blog posts, and I noticed you are wrestling with some of the same issues that I am even though we are separated by 12,000 miles. Perhaps it is our yellow, or perhaps it is the intuitive "stretch" we feel God pulling us toward. Could it be that we are not thinking BIG enough? In our finite understanding, could we be focusing too small? Christy and I pray for you and Vanessa to see with clarity the plans He has for you.
Take Care,
Kerry Flowers

21/10/09 8:16 PM
Unknown said...

Dearest Mr and Mrs Flowers

I SALUTE YOU!

Thanks for leaving this meaningful "mark" in my journal. Amazing that your kind validation went the extra mile. Let me share with you the frustrations of the past 3 hours.

I woke up today telling myself "Yo John, you gonna stay right here at home today and get some solid work done. At 8am, I wrote on a large flipchart what I like to do today in the most systematic, time-based hour by hour plan. 3 hours have passed and I am like... "what the S*** have I done?" Near kicking my own ass, not much of scheduled plans if I map to what I vowed to do. btw, wife walked past before she went to work and commented, what an honorable plan. Yet, what exactly did I do? I wrote a couple of thank you-s to a few friends, listened to Daniel Pink on TED video, drafting out a thinking program for a friend that came to mind (note: this was not part of the original plans) and here I am saying- why have I done what I did?

Perhaps, learning to look deeper ought on my red-yellow bit would help. Meantime, I need some green beanies to get the day going in some direction. Thanks Kerry for the wonderful affirmation!

John

p.s. Feels like speaking to an angel hiden within my skull- serendipity.

21/10/09 8:34 PM

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