How do you convince yourself "this idea" will work out?

I recommend learning about Jobs to be Done and the Outcome-driven innovation research process developed by Tony Ulwick. The core idea is to focus on helping other people get a "job" done that they want to get done in their life (personal, social, business, or other). Tony Ulwik and his company Strategyn make their introductory book available for free here: https://jobs-to-be-done-book.com/

Science! Ideas don't have any value, execution does. If you can't execute your idea there is no point to convice yourself. This is where Science comes into the game: 1. Identify the problem 2. Collect datas 3. Test your idea against the gravity aka the real world

Pessimists are my best friends when it comes to check if an idea is worth working on. I share the idea with them and let them kill it. If I am still motivated to keep working on the idea, I continue with identifying my assumptions. I try to be 100% realistic at this stage. Once I have all my assumptions, I prioritize and start validating them.

- Explore the idea as much as possible. - Sleep on it. - If you still think it's a good idea then start writing down specifics. - What is the MVP and what is the ideal outcome? - Will i have fun doing this no matter the outcome? - Talk with friends and colleagues about it. - Is it still a good idea? Look what you need for an MVP. - Hope for the best

Few tips & thoughts: - Research the problem "this idea" is supposed to solve. Does this problem really exist? Are there other people having this problem (potential customers)? Are there any existing solutions for this problem? - Talk to people, either on the internet, social media or in-person. This is not a research, rather a "no strings attached" conversation. - Let it rest for one day. If the next day you still think it is a good idea, write down some more concrete form of how would you realize it. - Think long-term. Are you willing to work on this idea for the next year, or more? Are you willing to be daily in touch with that type of people who will use my solution for that idea? - Create a prerequisites for an MVP. What do you need to build? How to test it? What metrics to measure. - Be delusional. Seriously, you have to be at least a little bit delusional. You have to believe, beyond the reason, that "this idea" will work. - Create a prototype. The best way to convince yourself something will work is by seeing it on your own eyes. - Lastly, just believe in it and yourself. Project is more likely to fail because of execution or marketing, rather than the idea itself. You don't need an awesome idea. You need some plausible idea and then focus relentlessly on execution, marketing, etc.

I find that oftentimes you have to get out the ideas that don't work to get to ideas that will work. In other words, some things you just won't know until you act on it/try it out. Instead of getting into decision paralysis (I'm guilty of this all the time), it helps when I stop arguing with myself about it and just get to action - then the answer becomes more clear.

Just because some wise man said, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." So, gotta take the risk and ride the horse of nowhere that leads to somewhere. Gotta believe in yourself.

Just "feel the the idea".

Hi @alphahunter ! I actually DON'T believe every idea will work out! I follow the mantra of "fail early, fail often" and I believe now you have all the support to do it well, without having to fall so hard. I'm personally planning to use the Ship platform here to test out 3 or 4 of my own ideas. And if they don't work out, it's a few hundred dollars and a couple months of work, vs. a few years of my life and THOUSANDS of dollars. The new way seems so much lighter and easier than the old way. And regardless, I trust that I will learn something and meet some wonderful people along the way! What is your idea, btw??

If you can't convince yourself it's a good idea, how are you going to convince others? At some point you just have to commit and try it out. Set a goal and a deadline that allow you to fail fast if it doesn't work out.

Getting an idea that popped out of your head onto paper (or screen) is the first step. If you can articulate your idea in one sentence, you are good to go… out of the building, and on to the street, talk to your initial customers (whoever they may be) but more importantly listen to them. The biggest question is usually "Is the problem I am trying to solve even a problem for my customer" if that is a yes then you can move on and begin to execute.

Great question! I found that clarifying my vision and knowing exactly what I want to accomplish, both personally and professionally, gives me a way to measure every idea and action. For example, I have a vision of what kind of business I want to be in. If the idea I am considering is not something that I feel deeply about and truly believe in, it may be a good opportunity, but I'll pass and pursue something I really want to work on. I also know that whatever idea I choose to pursue, it may or may not work out. But if I've done the work of clarifying my vision, it's an idea that I feel deeply about, and I'm willing to take the risks of trying to make this idea a reality whether it works out or not, then I'll move forward and start building little by little. Ultimately there's only way to know if any idea will work or not, and it's by taking action. I've found in my own life that fear has often played a role in me not taking action. But what I've also found to be true is "action cures fear." -Dr. David. Schwartz

I usually take a lot of time before convincing myself that an idea is good and start working on that... I personally convince myself with two things: 1) Some proves that something similar had a good market fit 2) Is that what I want? I mean, I try to figure it out if this idea will work out on me. There are a tons of good ideas, but I always want to find something that I could believe in it with all myself.