Why ambitious people carry some ideas for years, the mistake we make about exploration, what one leader learned when they finally stopped wondering.
I worked with a client who built a successful career at one of the leading big-tech giants. Despite this leader’s success, they couldn’t shake the feeling that there might be something else out there for them. They excitedly exclaimed,
“I have an idea I’ve been sitting on for awhile, and I need to figure out what I’m going to do about it.”
But the idea of potentially abandoning what they had spent years building for themselves felt incredibly daunting.
This idea was relentless. It had carried them through their beginnings in their career and finding their place in a new city. It was personal to them, almost like a calling. This idea represented so much of what they hoped their future could be. It would free them from the politics of big-tech they had grown tired of, and allow them to use their brain in the way they dreamed of using it in their everyday life. But, as they were on the precipice of bringing their first child to their family, this idea was no longer sitting silently in their mind. Among all of the shifts they knew were on the horizon for them, this idea was jumping to the forefront, knowing a new baby would inevitably shove the idea back into a long line of waiting.
I asked,
"What would feel worse... not opening the door, or opening it and discovering it isn't what you hoped?"
They took a moment to think. It was as if they were processing the grief of losing the idea in front of my eyes after carrying it around with them for so many years. With a deep breath they said,
“It’s been with me long enough that either I have to research this or let it go. I know it’s worth the exploration, even if I don’t pursue it. If I don’t, I know it will feel like a dull ache that just lingers.”
I pressure tested my client’s accountability. Not because I didn’t think they would follow through but because so often our grand ideas stay in idea form forever. We talked about what this idea meant to them and how deeply connected it was to their values. We discussed how challenged they felt by this idea and how inspiring it could be using their experience in tech to bring this to life. After our session together, they excitedly went off with a plan in place to explore this topic, do some deep research, and listen to the experts in the field. But a week later they returned with an answer they never expected.
Some questions to consider:
What idea have you been carrying that you’re afraid to investigate?
What if the thing you're afraid of isn't failure, but finding out the dream wasn't real?
What This Leader Discovered
This leader spent years carrying an idea they couldn’t stop thinking about. In the paid section, I share what happened when they finally investigated it, why ambitious people often leave their biggest ideas untouched, the hidden cost of carrying an unanswered question for years, and the same four questions I’d ask a client sitting across from me trying to decide whether an idea is worth exploring.
