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There’s something between having random ideas (easy) and implementing ideas (hard, but learnable) that I find very difficult: the ability to pick a promising id

There’s something between having random ideas (easy) and implementing ideas (hard, but learnable) that I find very difficult: the ability to pick a promising idea — which includes having the confidence to stick to it. I don’t think that’s entirely captured by the word “executing”, and I think it’s also vital.

seanmcdirmid 4y ago
This is a case where practice improves results. Most of the ideas you pursue will be unsuccessful, but should have interesting results and learning experiences that you can apply to the next ideas. The worst thing you can do in that case is wait to come up with the best idea, it’s a hill that you need to start climbing by grinding through ideas even if they have lots of problems.
- cj 4y ago
  > you need to start climbing by grinding through ideas even if they have lots of problems. The best ideas typically have a lot of problems (if it didn't, someone else would have ran with it before you). The secret to picking "the right" idea to work on, in my opinion, is picking an idea that 1) is hard and has lots of problems, and 2) your background, skills, and experience give you a unique ability to solve those problems. Knowing that you're working on a problem that you're uniquely poised to solve can give you the grit / confidence needed to see the idea through.