Do Something Big

Might it finally be time to tackle an amazing goal, your
most important accomplishment yet, maybe your first big accomplishment? 




Examples to trigger
your Big Idea

Perhaps these ideas will help you come up with yours:




Truck
adoptable dogs and cats from pounds in regions where there are too many of them to shelters in regions
where there are too few.
Create
a match.com-like website that pairs-up people for activities other than
dating: MentorMatch, Activity Partner Pair-Up, Book Club Maker, etc.
Direct
an after-school play with troubled high-school kids, for example, West
Side Story or Rent.
Mentor
someone who has much unrealized potential.
Write
a book or make a video that says something important in an powerful way. For example, whatever career you've been
in--from clerk to CEO--create something that helps people
in your field to be happier and more successful. Perhaps base it on
interviews with people in the field, luminaries and just plain folks. If
you can't sell your book to a publisher, self-publish on CreateSpace and
sell it on Amazon. If you can't get Steven Spielberg to make your movie,
post it on YouTube.
Start
a charter or private school for an underserved category of students:  kids who hate standard school, ADD gifted kids, whatever.
Invent
something. Example: a robot that would help an elder who fell to get up. 
Create
a Udemy course on what you know: from
business-plan writing to bowling to bargaining.
Raise beaucoup
bucks for your favorite charity. For a list of efficient charities, see charitynavigator.org A new book on how to pick a charity wisely: Reinventing Philanthropy.
Start
a business where there's a crying need, for example, a child care center
where none exists.


Questions to unearth
your Big Idea

What's
been your biggest success so far? What could be a bigger or more important
version of that? It needn't be something you accomplished at work. For
example, if you played in the community orchestra perhaps you might aspire
to conduct Beethoven's Fifth there.


If you
had to give away a million dollars, to whom or what would you give it? For
example, if you'd give the money to the National Abortion Rights League,
perhaps you'd want to be a volunteer coordinator for it. 


Other
than what you've already done, what would you be most proud to say you've
done? 


What societal
problem are you most concerned about? For example, if politicians
frustrate you, do you want to run for office? If you're sick of traffic
gridlock, do you want to join a local transportation committee?


Is
there a product or service you'd love to improve? Let's say you'd like to abet health
care but are intimidated by the problem's massiveness. You might become a patient advocate, helping less efficacious
patients to get the care they need. 


Assume
there's a God. What would God tell you is the most important project He or She put you on this earth to undertake? 


Sometime,s
the most direct approach is best: What's the biggest idea you could see
yourself motivated to tackle?


Succeeding

Coming up with the idea is the easy part. Much harder is developing a plan and especially executing it well. Create your to-do list and get
expert advice and hands-on help as needed. Try to treat setbacks as challenges;
don't give up prematurely. But as Kenny Rogers sang, "You gotta know when
to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em." 
If you have to toss in your cards, take solace in knowing that that gives you an opportunity to play another hand.



Dear reader, I'm thinking about expanding this into a book. If aimed at Boomers, it would be titled, "Your Grand Finale." If aimed at a general audience, it would be titled, "Do Something Big." Think that's a good idea? Suggestions welcome.