Category: Mastermind

What is a Good Idea?

Recently I had a good idea.  I like to think of myself as creative person and while I do not always get it right, I always enjoy the feeling when I can report a win.  This led me to think about what a good idea really is.  Is it just something I never realized before?  Perhaps it’s an idea that I should have thought of first, but someone else beat me to the punch.  Yesterday, for example, my mother suggested I add fertilizer to my geraniums to get them to flower.  “Good idea!” I replied quickly.  The thought had not yet occurred to me.  This summer for the first time since I started gardening I have occasionally been using fertilizer, often with great results.  Just ask my husband about the new crop of tomatoes from just three little plants!

Maybe an idea becomes a “good idea” simply because it is something outside your area of expertise.  Sound ideas are valuable in business as well as in your personal life, so they are worth paying attention to when they arrive.  Cultivating these ideas, either through others or through you own induction, is a skill.  Recently while reading a business advice book (there are many good ones) I received a reminder on a piece of advice I found many years ago: if you have a good idea, don’t wait to write it down.  Take the time to record it because the memory of it may disappear into the ether of consciousness like the fizz of carbonation.  Attaching importance to one’s good habits is a good idea and does make a difference.

The mastermind groups I offer (Finestkind Mastermind) are similar in terms of fostering good habits and allowing the creative energies of the hive mind to flow.  Creativity runs deep and does not necessarily color within the lines.  It thrives on the fresh soil of new projects and fertile new friendships.  When you have a new idea, take it seriously, even if you don’t recognize it to be a good idea at first.  It may grow on you.  “Light bulb” ideas come from your subconscious.  You should welcome them with the special care and collection of a prized specimen caught during the trip of a lifetime.  As you know, a potential new friend may in time turn out to be only a passing encounter; others become primary, cherished friendships. The same is true of your ideas.  Do not discard them randomly simply because they do not appear to be a familiar face or concept.  Take the time to get to know your new idea and visit it a few times before making any final decision about adding it to your inner circle of trusted concepts.

So, what was my new idea?  That will have to wait until next time.

Henry Lyons is the owner of Finestkind Web Design, LLC  in Dresden, Maine. He can be reached at finestkindwd@gmail.com, or through his website www.fineskindwebdesign.com.

Making better decisions: why I do what I do.

“Quite often when I meet with someone in my office (either in person or virtually) the conversation ranges into areas which were not necessarily on the agenda for the meeting. This is because I am not afraid to pose questions.”

Decision making – Finestkind can help you make the best business decision for your future.

Having helped many people get through one of the toughest periods in their lives—be it divorce, prison, death of a loved one, terminal illness, or financial disaster, the best service I can offer to others is a method to help them avoid bad decisions and to make good ones.  What makes me an expert in this area?  I have a wealth of experience one-on-one, in groups and in formal proceedings about how to accomplish exactly that: I help people make better decisions. 

The concept is simple:

  1. Recognize where you are in life or in the decision-making process.
  2. Seek out the opinions of others who might have a better perspective than you on the situation.
  3. Take the time you need to make a balanced, and realistic plan.
  4. Have the courage to follow though.

These steps, in business or matters of the heart, honor your own specific needs and process, giving you the space you need to decide as opposed to react.  The first step, recognizing that there is a choice to be made, is often the most elusive.  Being in a group, such as a mastermind or an ongoing consulting relationship, can be a blessing for the opportunity you receive to step back and evaluate options before you either run out of time or resources.  Someone is there to listen to you, to pay attention to your challenges and frustrations, and to give you an opening to stop and be deliberate about your next move.  Hindsight is 20-20, but what about those who have the benefit of experience, expertise, and perseverance in their lives?  This is what I try to bring to the table every time a client sits down with me to discuss a new idea or find the solution to a problem. 

Quite often when I meet with someone in my office (either in person or virtually) the conversation ranges into areas which were not necessarily on the agenda for the meeting.  This is because I am not afraid to pose questions.  It is important to understand the problem if I am truly to be of help.  For example, if someone comes to me asking for a website, I want to know what they expect from it.  I ask who their intended audience is, and what steps they are willing to take to promote it.  I have often used the metaphor of putting a book in the library.  Making the website is like publishing a book, that no one will look at without proper promotion.  There is a myriad of tools at my disposal as a social media marketer, but each case needs personal attention to detail to be effective.  There are many right and wrong decisions available.  Consider setting a meeting up with me to let me do what I like to do best, help you make better decisions.  I look forward to your call.