I saw this image on a t-shirt. The real number is telling the rational number to get real and the rational number is telling the real number to be rational. It may be something only a math lover will enjoy (I didn't want to bore you with the definitions - you can Google them if you really want to recall the difference) but it started me thinking about being real.
I frequently attend business meetings - dinners, lunches and other events. Most of the time I am in the audience and sometimes I am the headliner. I have observed thousands of presenters that run the gamut from polished, professional and effective to shaking in their boots or reading their entire performance. Sometimes the polished ones come across too polished. It seems like they've given the presentation a hundred times before and they are bored with us, or if someone asked them a question it would throw them off their well-prepared script. They are entertaining but aren't real.
When you see real you know it. The presenter has a story to share and does it so well you are wrapped up in the moment along with them. You may be called to action and want to jump to your feet to follow as soon as you can. Or it may be subtle - a great idea that you file away to work on later when you get back home or to the office. Either way - they impact you.
Being real is a risk. You put yourself and your ideas out there for everyone to see.
Are you ready to step up to the plate and take a risk? What are you really afraid of? How will you push past that barrier and move forward?
Get real!
One of my favorite television shows to watch is The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. It is my humor injection for the day. I delight in his monologues, headlines, Jay Walking (he walks the area near Universal Studios and asks people questions they should know the answer to - their guesses are hilarious), and other regular "bits". He is a great interviewer in addition to being an all around funny guy. In one of the segments he had on recently, the creator of the WEB site company Quirky.com showcased some of the products inventors had submitted. How it works is inventors submit their product idea to the WEB site, they post the details and visitors to the site vote on the idea. If it gains a certain amount of attention and positive feedback the Quirky Company produces and markets the product with the inventor reaping part of the profits. They also post ideas that still might need a little work and visitors offer their insight. It appears to be a great way to get an idea to market when you don't have the resources or the know-how.
Seeing Quirky.com on The Tonight Show activated my creative mind. The next day I mentioned it to a guy in my indoor cycling class who always seems to have a solution to problems or a gadget in mind to fix them. At first he said "ideas are a dime a dozen" popping a pin into my balloon of enthusiasm that started a slow leak - but not a bust! After class we started discussing different ideas we had for products and my enthusiasm was revived. He did have some pretty good ideas for products - even a fitness related one - and we both contemplated submitting ideas to Quirky.com. We will see where this goes.
We all have them - idea killers. People who trash our idea or shake their head or give us less than enthusiastic responses when we reveal our latest crazy dream. Don't let them bring you down. There are a variety of ways to handle them - don't share your ideas with them, share but ignore any negative response, or ask them what they like about the idea, what they might change or what part of the idea is a concern and politely ask for any suggestions. You just might end up with a better idea and someone one your side.
