Turning Ideas in to Action

We have all had ideas we have never acted upon. During our day we think of great new inventions, business ideas, ideas for TV programmes and so on but by the end of the day we have either usually forgotten about them or if we do remember them we don’t do anything about them.

Now I had a situation like this recently. I enjoy writing and spend much of my day working in a TV environment coupled with this in my spare time I enjoy playing and coaching football. Based on my experiences in football I had the idea to devise and script a new fictional TV series based around a youth football team. It wasn’t that I wasn’t passionate enough about my idea but it was just my busy lifestyle kept getting in the way of me putting pen to paper, every time I thought I had an opportunity to start, something would get in the way.

Then after months of thinking this idea through in my head, (yes even though I wasn’t writing it I was still thinking about all the characters and plot twists for my TV series idea) I picked up my TV guide to see that BBC 2 were about to launch a series based on a youth football team. Now I’m not saying my ideas were anything close to the show that ended up on BBC 2 but now with that in a prime time slot other channels aren’t going to be looking for something similar to it.

Its one thing believing in an idea but you have to make it happen, if you truly believe in an idea go out and make it happen don’t wait for someone else to get there before you. There are so many people in life with great ideas which could change the world or just merely entertain people but none of these great ideas ever see the light of day. If half of our good ideas were acted upon just imagine the world we would be living in.

Some ideas are harder to get off the ground than others but don’t let the difficulty to deter you as a good idea is a good idea regardless of how hard or difficult it is to make happen. Don’t waste your life wondering about what ifs or what could have been. By trying to make your ideas happen at least you know what would have happened and if you are successful it may change your life or if you aren’t successful you can move on to new ideas or new projects.


Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

Volunteering

Today’s youth have the stereotype of being a non caring, self obsessed breed. The truth is that although there may be many who are like this there are a growing number of young people out there who do great things for other people through volunteering. The number of young people giving up their time on a regular basis to volunteer is growing and I for one hope continues to grow in the future.

The amount young people can get out of volunteering is huge. With a world which is focused on academic skills and grades volunteering gives young people the chance to learn vital life lessons and skills which can’t be taught in the classroom. I believe that regardless of what you want to achieve in life you need to spend a period of time as a volunteer as working as a volunteer can show us how fortunate we are and what changes that we can make to individuals, groups and the world.

In the classroom you work in a world of theory but in volunteering you get to be involved in a practical world and see changes that are actually happening because of the work you have done. Now you may be saying the time that you give up to volunteer could be time used to pursue your dream but the amount of energy and experience you can gain through volunteering outweighs the time you no longer have. Being able to give up your time to help others is a great skill to have.

Volunteering can open up a world of possibilities and opportunities which wouldn’t have been open to you if you hadn’t got involved. If you are not old enough to get a paid job or if you don’t have the experience to get the job you want volunteering can gain you the experience which you can use towards your career. In the short term it may seem like you are working for no money but the extra money you can sometimes make by having that experience outweighs it by far.

The face of volunteering has changed, volunteering opportunities use to be very limited but now many organisations are working in the UK to promote volunteering and create a million and one new volunteering opportunities including anything from media to arts to sports. There never has been a better time to get involved in volunteering as there are now great opportunities and great support networks out there to guide you.

One organisation who are really making a difference in the volunteering world are the Youth Action Network. The Youth Action Network is the national organisation with unique experience and expertise in the Youth Action approach to volunteering. Look out for future publications from them which will feature a piece we wrote on volunteering and the arts. For more information on them go to their website:

http://www.youthactionnetwork.org.uk/

Like this blog why not get involved in our topic of the week on the forum:

What volunteer work do you do, are you looking at getting in to volunteering and what do you get out of volunteering?

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=118#118

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com/