If you have kids at home who like Sponge Bob Square Pants (or you’re a kid at heart who likes this little square, naive and awfully silly guy) you’ve probably seen that episode where Sponge Bob and Patrick were having the time of their lives with a plain old card board box. They drove Squidward totally nuts because… cmon, how can two supposedly grown guys have so much fun with a card board box right? Sponge Bob and Patrick told Squidward all you need is ~~Imagination!~~ Oooooo… 
I have to laugh each time I hear that because my girls picked that line up too and very often they’d tell me “Mommy, all you need is ~~Imagination!~~” Ok so what has this got to do with my business and the gurus?
Well, as you know, I’m reading the book Getting Things Done, by David Allen and I’m starting section 2 where we’re brought into the nitty gritty. One of the things Allen keeps pointing out is purpose. Why are you doing what you do? In the process of defining that purpose, it’s very useful to imagine the outcome. If you want to build a site, what is the purpose? Maybe so it can earn you some money so you can be home with your children but out of that what is the desired outcome the final product? For me it goes beyond just being able to earn and income from home. In my mind’s eye it’s about taking my family on vacation without stressing out too hard where I’m going to get that money from. It’s about sending my kids to college without financial stress. I see them going to college, I see them during graduation… in my mind.
Allen says when you can ’see’ what you want the outcome to be, it clarifies your thoughts and he challenges you in the book, try it. So I did. I applied it to one project that’s been busting my chops for a week now. I keep running around in circles not sure which issue I should tackle next or how even though I know what I have to do. Guess what… I figured it all out in 5 minutes. Now I have something actionable. I know what are my next actions and the ones after. SO cool and the best part, I feel my mind is at ease about this project after almost a week of mulling around. Pretty amazing.
There are of course a few steps than just imagination but for me seeing the desired result in my mind’s eye clarifies things so much and helps put it all into perspective. Now… to apply it to the 10 million other things on my plate