See a Need and Then Do

Before you ask for readers, write the article you wish you could read. Before you ask for the sale, create the product you wish you had. These two quotes from James Clear’s 3-2-1 weekly email caught my attention this week.

We often downplay our observations by not realizing their value. We sense a need in our own lives or others, and instead of taking action, we move on, missing the opportunity for self-improvement or aiding another in a crisis. This new year I’ve been making a point to be “more aware” of what is happening around me and recognize it as something I need to take action on. My awareness is the alarm, and now I have a responsibility.

Some helpful tips:

• The five-second rule. When you see a need, you have around five seconds to act (or not act). The move could be as easy as jotting down an idea or reminder on a sticky note.
• Journal or blog. As you make time to write, it gives space for ideas to solidify. It forces you to learn and grow. It moves you to be more proactive in life.
• Share with others. If you have a need, others will have that same need too. Solve it by sharing and helping. You don’t have to be perfect. You have to be moving in the right direction.
• Keep your head up. To see a need, you must know what is around you. If your discouragement is allowed to linger, you focus on yourself and, in looking down, miss the opportunities around you. To break this, you must do what, at the time, feels unnatural. Look up!

The best inventions were born by seeing and meeting needs. It does not have to be grand in scale — all good things begin with little choices.