Execution, Not Ideas, is Key. Duh!

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My wife was all excited when she came to me with a business idea. She happily explained the ins and outs of it, when I said "Great! Now go start the site."

"Wait," she interrupted. "I was expecting you to turn this awesome idea into reality..."

I'm well-versed in this type of conversation now, actually. People who know me personally have heard that I was having a bit of luck with "this whole internet thing," and someone would mention their idea to me every once in a while thinking I will make it happen and give them half the proceeds.

"That sounds like a terrific idea," I usually respond, "but there is quite a bit on my plate right now." You see, it's not that those ideas aren't good. Most of them are actually brilliant. Yet, the exciting part is not the idea. I'm not short of ideas. In fact, I bet most successful entrepreneurs have a ton of those, too. It's just that even though the idea is important, brilliance is only possible with persistent execution.

Originality is Not as Important as You Think

Was McDonald's the first fast food store ever opened? Did Walmart invent retail? And is Facebook the first social media website ever created? Hardly. Yet, they still opened shop, worked hard at it, improved on an existing idea, and are now considered innovators in their respective industry.

You can even use a boring idea to get started, but with witty execution, you can turn dull into shiny.

Are You Wasting Your Talent?

Ever heard of someone who told you that you are wasting your talent? To me, there is no such thing as wasting your talent. Someone made that exact comment to me a few years back. "You are wasting your talent." What he really meant was "You are wasting your time and you don't have the talent in the department of work ethics."

You see, having the discipline to work hard when everyone is out partying is talent. Plowing forward when you don't necessary know what is ahead is a talent, and believing in yourself through countless rejection is a talent, too. But sadly, having clever ideas is not a talent.

Don't keep telling yourself that you could be successful if you just tried harder. That is just an excuse. You are either succeeding or you are not. If you aren't trying, you don't have the talent of being able to work hard.

• Do you have a business idea? Put it in action.
• Are you in a miserable job? Start looking for another one.
• Do you wish you had a better relationship with everyone? Start by acting less selfish.
• Are you overweight? Start exercising.
• Don't have time? Make time. Because if you fail, you can try again.

Stop making excuses and just do it already. Don't wait!

Everybody can come up ideas, but few have the courage and wits to execute them. There are successful people and there are others. You decide which you will be.