Taking an idea from concept to reality is both exhilarating and frustrating.  While tackling any big and bold project, you inevitably come to a point where things are harder than you expected.  As a card carrying dreamer, I can tell you it’s difficult to push yourself past self-doubt and overwhelming obstacles to make your dreams a reality.

Enter Scott Belsky’s book Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality.  This is a book I think absolutely everyone should read, but if you also happen to be creatively inclined in the slightest, it’s a must.  The book has incredibly practical ideas on how to focus, maintain momentum, take advantage of conflict and competition, and reduce scary projects into manageable chunks.

It’s also filled with wonderful observational gems like this:

From a very early age, our formal education ingrains a short-term rewards system that hampers our ability to make ideas happen.  We studied for tests in elementary school in the hope of getting an “A.”  A good grade would garner respect from our teachers and approval from our parents.  [...] As we entered the workforce, the good grade became the paycheck, the recognition, and the potential for a raise or bonus. [...]  If we adhere to it, the deeply embedded reward system of our adult lives is likely to keep us employed and secure within the status quo.

As Belsky goes on to explain, humans are excited by novelty, which propels us through the early stages of a project with an abundance of energy and optimism.  But when reality rears its head, our commitment to a long term vision can easily fade.  This is what Seth Godin refers to as The Dip.  Belsky argues in order to sustain your efforts through completion, you need to do three things:

1. Unplug from the traditional rewards system: While it’s not novel to suggest you do things for yourself instead of the approval of others, standing up to a crowd of nay-sayers isn’t easy.  One way to get around this is to set aside some subset of your ideas that by design should rile the community–or you’re being too conservative.  Learn to take risks that no one believes in but you.
2. Set up a system of incremental rewards: Since you can’t always rely on the traditional rewards system, you’ll need to create your own.  Set mid-term goals for yourself and then take a moment to reflect on how far you’ve come, much like looking back down a mountain you’ve just scaled.  Become your own cheerleader.
3. Happiness is its own reward: Those who work in HR know a dirty little secret: monetary incentives rarely work.  This is especially true for the younger generations.  Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, says “above [pay] are things related to culture or your manager or vocation and believing in the company’s mission or vision.”  Happiness can be its own kind of currency.  If you believe in the vision of your project, you’re much more likely to stick it out through the rough patches.

The only caution here is that sometimes your “lizard brain,” another phrase from Seth Godin that refers to primitive, fear-based emotions, can trick you into thinking happiness lies in quitting.  That’s why coupling the three activities is so powerful: you need a commitment to risk and your own version of short-term rewards to keep yourself on the true path.