A while back I had the opportunity to chat with the author of Making Ideas Happen, Scott Belsky. Since that time, the book has gone on to become a best-seller (including in the iBookstore!)and has been reviewed pretty much everywhere.
Well, now you can the mighty site known as this one to the list.
I’ve gone through the book – from cover to cover – despite my lack of interest in reading print (I’d rather read “voice”). Belsky goes over the Action Method – of which there are products and an online/iPhone application that enables you to make things happen – as well as what keeps us from putting such methods into practice.
The book is divided up well – shifting from putting ideas that you have into actions as well as fostering ideas that have yet to come to fruition. Making Ideas Happen drives home that while inspiration is the spark, perspiration is the driving force behind bringing ideas to life.
Belsky (best known as the CEO of Behance) takes on the things that distracts those trying to get ideas off the ground as well, things like “insecurity work” (checking social media sites, constant email inbox review, etc.) and how competition can be just as healthy as collaboration. I don’t want to give away too much more because it is an entertaining and informative read – plus I really can’t remember right now. Surely, no budding or non-budding Eventualist is going to ask me to go back and read up on it right now, right?
(I’ll finish this review up as soon as I’ve checked all of those aforementioned items. I could probably do the other thing I mentioned at the tail end of the paragraph, but it’s not as high on my eventual list right now…)
3 DAYS LATER…
There….now where was I? Ah, yes…now I remember.
Unlike some other productivity-ish books I’ve had the opportunity/misfortune to read (none of which I will mention here because I can’t remember them), Making Ideas Happen really had an impact in calling me to action. For example, as soon as I had finished reading it I had the inclination to start my An Eventual Life podcast. While this may seem counter-intuitive to the Eventualism ideology I profess, let me assure you that as soon as I put the word “eventual” in the podcast title, it gave me license to do just that – and let eventual happen.
This book comes highly recommended by yours truly, as well as by a few others. In fact, I’d go so far as to read it again…eventually, of course.
