Another idea from perennial seller by Ryan Holiday, ideas are cheap, executing really matters. So many people have a “great idea for a book” but a tiny fraction of those people actually even start writing (and then an even smaller fraction finish. It’s completely true and one of the key changes I made in my early twenties was moving from having ideas to trying out ideas. Later in my twenties I started getting better at finishing those same ideas and not just starting a whole host of new ones. However, that is still a skill I need to develop.

I did think of James Altchure’s idea factory habit (habit two). He seeks to be a constantly thinking of ideas AND reviewing them to only take action on the best ones. While ideas are cheap, we also need ideas.

Finally I remembered Dan Aierly who described how people want to be given credit for their ideas more than the actions they take. I can certainly relate and I believe that’s related to why the statement that “ideas are cheap” is so tough to stomach. We want recognition for our ideas, we believe they are valuable, but in reality no one rewards you just for ideas, they reward people for carrying out their ideas.