"But what if someone steals my idea?!"

As I type these words, I’m in the midst of losing my mind pitching a big project with a business partner. It’s exciting, my partner is a funny, creative guy, we’re both on the same page...and yet, the work and hours and general angst that’s gone into getting the project even halfway done...oy. Last Thursday, when we accomplished a semi-major milestone, we had a mini celebration. Keep in mind that we were primarily celebrating the fact that we had done what we said we would, and finished what we started. We weren’t heralding victory, we haven’t yet sold the idea, there’s still enormous amounts of work ahead of us, but we had kept our promise to ourselves and our potential. And that was enough.

All of this to say, that if you have an idea, whether it’s a book, a poem, a new website, a blog, a small business, a huge conglomerate, a revolution, an app, a cat toy, or a YouTube channel, and you find yourself saying, “Well, I could...but what if someone steals it? I guess I should wait till I know more...,” yeah, shut up, and get to work. Steal your idea? Hell, even you, on some deep, dark subconscious level, don’t want to do it, because of the staggering work load involved, so steal your idea? Really? Nice try. It ain’t that simple. It’s more like, steal the work, steal the hustle, steal the determination. There’s a universe of sacrifice between an idea in your brain, and an idea conceived, and born to screaming life.

And yes, people do steal ideas, of course, but letting that stop you from giving your own creativity the old college try, is actually stealing from yourself. Stealing your own passion, vitality and excitement for life.

You might be thinking about the ideas that keep you going, and wondering where to start. Start by doing even one concrete action today. Do what you know. Allow your idea to breathe. Don’t worry so much about the idea being stolen, or being good, or interesting, or useful: does it excite you? Bueno. That’s sufficient. That’s your lifeline.

The next time you have a great idea, an idea that excites you even more than the thought of chorizo tacos for dinner, or catching up on your Netflix queue, realize that your life is made up of these ideas. Ideas are passion. Passion is life. And it’s not about success or failure, it’s about action. It’s about believing in yourself, and believing that you have something important to contribute to our daily existence. Thus, when you worry about someone stealing your dreams, and don’t invest in them...all you’re doing, is stealing from yourself.

“It’s all make believe, isn’t it?”- Marilyn Monroe.

It damn well is, so what are you going to make, and what will you allow yourself to believe in? Hopefully, you’ll believe in yourself and the magical ideas, even the very bad ones, those unique, weird, quirky, stupid, corny, magnificent ideas, fluttering around in your heart and head.

That’s why we’re alive. Ideas.

Get to work.