The Notion of Execution: From Concept To Reality

Nobody said that creating something was easy. And even once the creation is complete, critical acclaim is no sure thing. At the age of 35, Vincent Van Gogh painted The Night Café, Artist's Bedroom at Arles, Pink Peach Trees, Café Terrace at Night, Woman Reading a Novel, Garden at Arles and many more in what is considered by some to be the greatest output in any one year by an artist. A poor man, he took his own life shortly thereafter, having sold only one painting.

There is a very fine line between success and failure. What separates the two?

Envision A Dream But Visualize The Outcome

To be successful in life you need vision and passion. You can build a better mousetrap but imagine a solution to capture mice and send them to Disneyland without having to harm them. Now that would get you some press.

Decide On A Course, Focus On The Goal, Formulate The Strategy, Establish Steps And Act

The idea is that to leave your mark in life, you have to think bold, think creative and do something that no one else has done. This is the golden rule in everything from the arts to product development. Once you have an idea in mind, you must then act.

One thing that will get you in trouble is a lack of focus. You have to choose one goal and set your sights on success. When you have done so you can try to execute on several fronts. Set a time line, some rough objectives and make the right decisions to attain your original goal.

Design, Implement, Create And Execute

After this, it is a matter of taking your concept from dream to reality. This is tricky as many ideas are beautiful in your head but impossible or quite ugly in reality.

The notion of taking an idea from concept to reality will come up in your business career but has been integral in your life as well. Some of you have had the "pleasure" of having worn braces. For most, this was a lengthy process. For one moment, forget how you felt and imagine what the orthodontist visualized as he sought to shape your teeth and jaw over time.

But the pace and specific trajectory of an idea is often hard to forecast. In the initial period, the greater picture is more important than individual steps. But as the date the braces were supposed to come off approach, specific points begin to emerge. If you thought the expression "pulling teeth" referred to a challenge, think again. "Moving teeth" is the greater challenge. This analogy is as key in school as it will be in business.

In school, all you are concerned about in your first term is to complete your degree. How long it will take and what stops you will make on the journey are secondary to your diploma. But as you get closer to finishing your degree, the specifics do matter, and they will even play a large role in your career.

In business, whether you pursue an entrepreneurial path or a corporate route, you will have to visualize an end product at first and gather the resources available. As you get closer to the end zone, you will have to make adjustments on the fly.