How to Simplify Your Idea Without Losing Its Essence

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Jonathan Fields (00:00:33) - So have you ever had a lightning bolt of inspiration, only to second guess yourself when it's time to actually execute on it? So I am sure you can really just staring at a blank page realizing your brilliant idea feels muddled and unclear. And in today's episode of SPARKED, we explore why it's so hard to distill multidimensional concepts into singular big ideas. And on deck with me this week from the Sparked Brain Trust to help tease out what really matters and share insights and ideas. Is the founder of the original Impulse Creative Studio, a Netflix and coaching program for writers. She's also an author, workshop facilitator, trusted advisor, and coach Cynthia Morris. So together we ask, why do we resist narrowing down our visions? Is it an unrealistic attachment to complexity or fear that simplicity will dilute the impact of it? Do we lack the essential skills for effective distillation, and if so, how can we cultivate them? How can we avoid recoiling from the meticulous work of shaping abstract ideas into concrete expressions? Are there mindset shifts that maybe might make the process feel more inviting? And when is sticking to your original, intricate vision important? And when is restraint and selectivity crucial to resonate with your audience? How do we balance creative freedom with serving others when bringing ideas to life? These are all questions and part of this bigger exploration that we dive into.

Jonathan Fields (00:02:04) - And Cynthia shares actionable tactics like starting with your why and breaking bigger concepts into smaller pieces. And I reflect on my own experience publishing a business book where the publisher demanded one central theme a difficult but ultimately clarifying constraint because at the end of the day, connecting with your audience or community is key. The people you hope to inspire should steer your message, not just your personal creative urges. Excited to share this conversation with you? I'm Jonathan Fields and this is SPARKED. Hey, before we dive into today's show, you know, we've learned that a lot of our listeners are sort of at this moment where they're really exploring the notion of work in their lives and their next moves in their careers. And if you are in that place, we talk about the spark and the sparketypes a lot on this show, this body of work that we've developed to help you really identify what makes you come alive and how to apply that to the world of work. We've heard from a lot of folks that they would also love some help along that journey.

Jonathan Fields (00:03:09) - If you're curious, you can also find on our website a directory of Certified Sparketype Advisors who know this body of work and can really help coach and guide you through it. So we'll drop a link to the show notes in that right now. And if it feels interesting to you and you just like somebody to help guide you through this next part of your career or work journey, take a look and see if somebody resonates. It might be the perfect fit to help you along this next leg of your journey. Again, that link is in the show notes now. We are back with this week's episode of SPARKED, a podcast about making work better and doing more good work. And how do we do that? Sometimes with external stuff that we need to figure out, sometimes internal stuff. And joining me is esteemed member of the Sparked Brain Trust, Cynthia Morris. Cynthia. Hello there.

Cynthia Morris (00:04:05) - Hello, Jonathan. How's it going?

Jonathan Fields (00:04:06) - It's going pretty good. We are both sitting here on a Colorado afternoon where the temperature has dropped like 30 degrees since yesterday, and it is legit fall.

Jonathan Fields (00:04:17) - And it's feeling like in the air, and it feels pretty good. So we have an interesting topic today, and I think a lot of you will be able to relate to this. You reach a point where you've been working on something and that something is an idea. It's a concept that's a story. It's something that has to get out. It's a notion. You're spinning it around in your head and maybe you're noodling with it. Maybe you're taking notes. Whatever you're doing, and you kind of think you have it down in your head. And this happens to so many people. And this could be in the context of you're leading up to a big meeting. You've got to present this idea to somebody. You're thinking about writing your first book, and you're trying to get it down so you can really figure out how to expand upon it. You're thinking about building out a content machine on social media or wherever it is that you want to share ideas, and you're you're really trying to get down, distill down, like what this is all about so you can communicate it in a powerful way.

Jonathan Fields (00:05:17) - And then you get to a point where you have to sit down and actually make it happen. And all of a sudden. What you thought was cool and clear and valuable and ready to hit the world. It all kind of falls apart. So we're going to dive into this experience because I cannot be the only one who have had it. Cynthia, I know you're not the only one who's had it. And pretty safe bet anybody who's listening to this, who's had an idea that they really believe in or story they really believe in, or a notion that they want to get out into the world would love to be associated with that and build.

Jonathan Fields (00:06:25) - Demand. Anything around it has struggled with this. How do we actually get it out and hit that moment where they think that they have it down and then everything falls apart? So talk me through this a little bit.

Cynthia Morris (00:06:40) - I'm fascinated by what we make and the process we go through, and everybody's different and how they make things, and there are certain things that are just inherent to the work of making something. I think sometimes what happens here that I think is so frustrating for me is that the idea seems super clear, and it just it's like ringing a gong of clarity inside you and you're so pumped up and ready to go. But the minute you go to put it down, like write some thoughts down around it, it becomes unclear. And I think what happens is our enthusiasm is like a magnet and we get so many ideas, we've got this idea and then it's this and it's also that. And how about this and see how exhausting that is when you're putting something into the world, like a book or a presentation.

Cynthia Morris (00:07:30) - You really need one main idea. You need to really commit to one main idea. And I think that's where we get so stuck here, because we we have a hard time committing to one idea. We get really hung up about choosing the right idea, which I don't think exists. And then I think there's maybe some squirrelly ness around putting a stake in the ground around one idea and standing behind it. So that is the first layer of, I think, like grind or friction where we can't commit to one thing.

Jonathan Fields (00:08:04) - Yeah. And that notion of having one idea, I think a lot of people will hear that and push back against it and say, but wait, like there are three really, really rich things here to talk about. As you're describing that, I literally just had a flashback to a meeting where we were selling my my book, which would eventually become the book uncertainty. And we're having meetings with publishers going around and going around around like we're sitting down with these really smart teams who are asking all sorts of questions.

Jonathan Fields (00:08:38) - And I sit down with the publisher, who would eventually become the publisher, who did the book with me, and the publisher, meaning the person who was actually like the head of that publishing house. The publisher guy sat down and made it with me and looked me square in the eye, and he said, tell me your big idea. He said, not three, not five. Because what I've noticed is that we have published some of the biggest books in the business category over a period of decades. Every big book has one and only one big idea. You may have all sorts of other supporting things around it, right? And stories and examples and all sorts of stuff. But 60,000 words is rooted in a single idea that can and must be distilled down to a single, preferably short and simple sentence.

Cynthia Morris (00:09:31) - It's so hard.

Jonathan Fields (00:09:32) - I looked at him and I was terrified in the first place, because this was sort of like a legend in the industry, and I was pretty new in the space at that point.

Jonathan Fields (00:09:39) - You know, like I swallowed hard. There was no moisture left in my throat. I thought I showed up, I had already had like a bunch of great meetings, but it hadn't been asked this question in this way. Effectively, it was a challenge that was being sent to me and I wasn't able to do it. Now. Eventually we got around to it in a conversational way, and and the one big idea from that book was uncertainty is a gateway to possibility, sir. And everything was built around that once we had that. But it was a real moment that's never left me because he was right. And we don't like to think that because we're complex and our ideas are complex and 60,000 words. You could put five ideas in there. But you also learn the same thing about speaking, right? Generally, you could have three stories and three subplots or three sub ideas that help illuminate, but the best talks often have like one big provocative idea. And but we really resist that.

Cynthia Morris (00:10:48) - I think I know why I think a we don't want to give up all of our ideas.

Cynthia Morris (00:10:52) - And I think the missing piece here is the person on the other side. So let's say it's a book or a presentation. This is designed to reach somebody, a specific somebody for a specific reason. And I think we can get so caught up in our own stuff and our own ideas that were forgetting that there's somebody out there that this is going toward. And so the minute you take something and put it out into the world, it has to have certain criteria. It needs to meet those people somehow. You need to be able to communicate that idea so that it resonates with them, and they want to read it or check the presentation out or whatever. And I think that's the piece people forget that. Oh, I need to consider that person in my presentation. What is the one thing I want them to take away? Okay, now I've got it down to what I feel is the most important thing in this moment for this project.

Jonathan Fields (00:11:46) - Yeah, and it makes a lot of sense. And you're really talking about the divide between doing it just for your own gratification versus the minute that you're doing it with the intention of sharing it with somebody and hoping for that, inspiring a certain interaction, a certain value accretion towards the idea and then a certain benefit to come, hopefully to both of you.

Jonathan Fields (00:12:08) - Right. It changes the dynamic. And you really have to think not just about how you want to play with the idea, but how it needs to be received.

Cynthia Morris (00:12:18) - Yep. So it's really much more about connecting your idea to other people versus just connecting to your idea yourself. And like, oh, my idea is so great and I love it. It's really about building a relationship and using the presentation or the book or whatever it is as a bridge between you and somebody else. And I coach people on writing books. And so I like to think, and I like to say that writing a book is an act of generosity. It's really about what that other what you want for that reader on the other end and writing from yourself for them.

Jonathan Fields (00:12:55) - So when we sit down and we think we have this awesome idea that we want to share, and we start to realize, okay, I'm going to need to narrow it down or work it so that it's actually not just something that sounds really cool and inspiring for me, but it's clear and simple and able to land with other people.

Jonathan Fields (00:13:14) - What else do you think is happening that makes so many of us kind of shut down and sometimes recoil and just say, like, this is actually to to do this work. It's kind of not down for it like I didn't I just want to say what I need to say, the way I want to say it and have it out in the world, and people can do with it what they want. And then when they realize that that's actually kind of selfish or, you know, it's not what people actually often need. What's the shutdown part of this?

Cynthia Morris (00:13:44) - I think it goes to why why are you why are you behind this idea in the first place? Why does it matter to you? And then that should hopefully connect you to why it matters to other people and what you want for other people. So I think going back to the source of it is helpful for us. Like why? Why the shutdown? I think a big part of practically, let's just make almost everything that we start off for the first time is we don't really understand the scope of the work.

Cynthia Morris (00:14:18) - So, for example, I think a lot about writing books and what's at stake and what what does it take, and I think whittle it down to writing a book is really about organizing. It's not about writing is organizing your ideas. It's organizing your time, your energy, your focus, and even organizing your documents, your materials. All of that is a big part of the job. And the writing itself is not the primary thing, especially at the beginning. You might need to be. You might write your way towards some of those. Some of that clarity, but really getting yourself set up to do the work. And I think this happens probably a lot. I would love to know what you think if this is true. We sit down and do something and realize it's not the thing we thought we were doing in terms of the scope of the job.

Jonathan Fields (00:15:08) - Yeah, I think that happens often. And I think oftentimes we fall in love with being able to create the idea to play with the idea, and we fall in love with the potential impact we think it will have when it goes out into the world.

Jonathan Fields (00:15:23) - Again, whether this is at a team meeting on social media, as a book, as a presentation, a keynote, but at the same time, so many of us are wired in a way where we really don't like or enjoy the process of shaping, forming, structuring. And by the way, that includes me, you know, and I am my sparketype actually, like I'm a maker is my primary sparketype. Which means, you know, I love to create things, my anti sparketype, which means that the work that's the heaviest lift for me essentially is essentialist, which is about creating order and chaos, structure, clarity, simplicity. I know that it is an essential part of the work that I, or somebody on a team I'm working on, will need to do in order to be of service to other people. But personally, I just want to curl up in a corner and have nothing to do with that kind of work when it hits, because there's something about it which to me just doesn't make me happy.

Jonathan Fields (00:16:25) - They're granted, there are other people who love that part of the process. I do that oftentimes, and I've we have one of those on our team. He was amazing. And but at the same time, a lot of people, the essentialist from what we're seeing in the data, I think is actually the second most popular anti sparketype. So a lot of people actually have that.

Cynthia Morris (00:16:46) - I think it's like a hidden one that I have. That's not the shadow. It's it's like I've got another one the essentialist. Yeah.

Jonathan Fields (00:16:54) - So I think a lot of people just recoil when it comes to that kind of work.

Cynthia Morris (00:17:00) - The other thing is when. So what we're talking about here, what is happening when we're going to craft an idea into something. We're looking at thousands of decisions. It's a lot of decision making. And we're often not that great at making decisions or knowing how to make a decision, having some specific criteria that we're using, and then we just get lost and confused. So I think that could be at stake when you have to really winnow it down to one thing.

Cynthia Morris (00:17:29) - You're just like being asked to, you know, run naked through the tundra or something. It's like, I don't even know how to do that. Yeah.

Jonathan Fields (00:17:37) - And if you think about the fact that so many people are now in some level of experiencing decision fatigue, yeah, they may not use that language, but it's sort of like there's so many things coming at them so fast. There's a complete disconnection, a fraying of boundaries, and it's just like decided to side to side to side to side. And if there is an emotional cognitive cost for each one of those and then we have to make a thousand of those before we get this awesome idea out into the world, that costs can start to push up against the joy that we might have, or the desire that we might have to actually bring it out and kind of keep us started saying, is it worth it when somebody actually is in this moment? What are some thoughts around how to navigate it?

Cynthia Morris (00:18:26) - What I do for myself is just ask, like, what's the problem here? It's really just first identifying what's not working.

Cynthia Morris (00:18:35) - And the more specific you can be, the better. And oftentimes it's this we just don't know how to do it. We just don't have the skill and we think we should. And so it might be a skill thing. So what what's the skill do I need to either develop or delegate that will help me get through this. And so one of the things I really want for people, even if it's just a thought experiment, when you bump up against something like this, especially when you're trying something new, is just to assume that the challenge or the difficulty that you're encountering is just part of the job. What happens is we instead default to thinking, oh, here's proof that I'm not good enough or not smart enough, or we kind of take it too way too personally. So we adopt that one of those agreements don't take things personally and just think, oh, this is just the job. Like being a parent, like, oh, this is really difficult job. No wonder I'm struggling. So what's the specific thing I'm struggling with and how can I solve for that problem.

Cynthia Morris (00:19:38) - So kind of taking some of the the emotion and sense of being personal or a defect on your part out, I think will get you to actually doing the work sooner.

Jonathan Fields (00:19:50) - Yeah, that makes a lot of sense to me. It's interesting because one of the patterns that we see also relating this back to the sparketypes, these, these types that we all have, whether you are your anti sparketype is the essentialist. Again your heaviest lift or if it's just kind of on that side of the spectrum of it's just the thing that is more depleting than filling. What we see is that there are a couple of different approaches people take to doing that type of work. That's like the more emptying work, some people will run from it or delegate it if they have the ability and the resources and the people available to them, which is like, can work. We've seen the opposite happened also, which is that other people will choose to run to it and they'll basically say, this is work that I don't want to do, I don't enjoy doing.

Jonathan Fields (00:20:35) - I don't really have the resources or the ability to outsource it, but I really, really, really want to get this idea, this thing out into the world again, could be all different formats. So what I'm going to do is I am going to become I'm actually going to invest in becoming really skilled at this thing so that I can become so much better at it that I am much more efficient and effective, and I can kind of move through it a lot more quickly, and that the ability to get through it with more competence and within less time, it doesn't entirely offset the depleting effect of it just being the type of work that really kind of wars with you, but it really helps. It helps make it more bearable in a lot of different ways. And knowing whether, no matter what skill you you explore the feeling of skilling yourself that alone, skilling yourself in anything, becoming competent, and sometimes even like extraordinarily competent at something that alone. If it's something you love or it's something you really loathe, that feeling of accumulating competence is a really nourishing, good feeling that can sometimes help offset the depleting effect of it as well.

Jonathan Fields (00:21:55) - So you've seen kind of like two approaches to doing this kind of work.

Cynthia Morris (00:21:59) - I like this thing that you just said about really, it's about learning. And if you especially if you're taking on something that might not be your primary competency, you're going to be learning a lot. And it's not just learning the skill, it's it's learning how to sit with difficult things. It's learning how to grow. It's learning how to do all kinds of things. What if when we're starting something new, a new project or something different? If we took it as just an opportunity to learn. Like, I'm going to learn so much here, I have no idea what I'm going to learn. But rather than coming at it like you should know, there's some expectation that you should have it all figured out. You should be good at it. You should be able to whip it out, and if you don't, then, then you're. It's probably because you had a bad idea. No, it's not necessarily your idea.

Cynthia Morris (00:22:47) - It's your unwillingness to be in that humbling, difficult learning curve.

Jonathan Fields (00:22:54) - So part of this is emotional. Then part of it may be a skill issue, like we actually just we don't have the necessary skills to distill it down and make it what we want to make it, or what it needs to be to move out into the world and actually land the way we want it to land. What about the part where somebody basically, for lack of a better word, becomes super precious to it having to be this multi tentacled thing and basically feels like this thing actually cannot be distilled down to the simplicity. The big idea, the one thing because to do so would be to so dilute it or bastardize it, that it would no longer actually do or carry the resonance with people that I know that it can. And not only would it make me unhappy, but it wouldn't serve them. What about that argument?

Cynthia Morris (00:23:49) - Yeah, I think this is a big issue, because I think we fall in love with our ideas and we get so much juice from them because they are limitless.

Cynthia Morris (00:24:02) - And your idea can be as big and expensive and irrational as you want, and you can really enjoy that vision. But then when you go to bring that vision down to earth and make it tangible, the complexity of the idea actually just gets in your way. So we love complex ideas, but to actually make them happen requires a certain amount of simplicity. So even if it is a multi tentacle idea, as you said, you're going to have to start with one tentacle or the body. You're going to have to start somewhere. So I would say break it down. And what is the first piece or like use one of the pieces to kind of cycle through beginning, middle and end and learn about your process so that you can take on the other pieces. So if you really are attached to your big complex octopus idea, see how you might break it down. The other thing, and I thought this is what you were going to say, was somebody attached to their big idea. I think our big ideas never turn out the way they are in our minds, and that's just part of the mystery of the creative process.

Cynthia Morris (00:25:11) - We're really gumming up the works ourselves. If we get so attached to what it was supposed to be that we can't flow with what's actually happening.

Jonathan Fields (00:25:22) - Yeah, that makes a lot of sense to me. And, you know, it's interesting because I'm thinking about Brené Brown here. She's an academic. She's brilliant. She's done years and years and years of research in university and a laboratory. She, you know, and in that world, oftentimes it's expected that you write in a certain way and that you convey ideas in a certain way. In a there is a methodology around creating and sharing and writing up research. And oftentimes that research is then published in scientific journals, and those journals are often read by very few people. And if you live in that domain as a professional, and then you turn around and try to take that idea, the so often really complex bit of research or ideas that goes into it and become the popular wisdom translator for that idea to write in, like popular books and podcasts and whatever it may be, that the world that you're coming from actually attacks you because you know, you're supposed to keep it complex and and rigorous and scientific because it's in service of the science.

Jonathan Fields (00:26:41) - And oftentimes folks in that world will keep it that way. Because if you want to continue to be held in high esteem in that world, that is how you have to operate. As she talked to Rene about this years back, about her decision to turn around and write for a popular audience, and she took a lot of heat from it. And I've talked to a number of professors who've done the same thing, and they've had to make a very conscious choice to say, look, I there is something that is really important to me about this. I will keep doing my research. I'll keep running my lab. The ideas are complex and their nuance and they're detailed. But because I want the essence of this idea to actually make a difference in people's lives rather than in the the the really small, siloed domain of research, I need to actually take the risk and do the work of distilling and simplifying in a way that it will land for other people, and know that there may be a cost to that as well.

Jonathan Fields (00:27:34) - That was always an interesting sort of like, yes.

Cynthia Morris (00:27:37) - It's just it's just horrifying to think about. I mean, if you think about the impact of Brené Brown's books on the world and the fact that if she had stayed in academia, it would have impacted eight people. Now it's like billions of people have been impacted by her work. It's pretty cool to be able to shift out of one domain into another.

Jonathan Fields (00:27:58) - Yeah, and if you look at each one of her books, you can pretty much pull out. Yes, there's details and stories and nuances and subsets, but there is generally a single this is the big idea. Yeah. Like vulnerability. Basically.

Cynthia Morris (00:28:11) - I bet it was one big bundle in her.

Cynthia Morris (00:28:13) - Mind though, at the beginning, I'm sure, and that she's okay. You know, this whole imperfection thing is one whole book. And that has happened with my clients. They've got all these ideas and like, this is actually a series. They're like, oh, even if somebody's writing an article, I'm like, this is hell along.

Cynthia Morris (00:28:29) - And this as it is, is just way too long. But as a series is super awesome. So being able to slice and dice and tease apart your ideas. The thing about like giving a talk or writing a content for social media, you really do. We have one idea. One one idea. So if that makes you squirm, if you're listening to this and thinking, I have no idea how to do that, then I would say practice. Practice distilling that down. It's a very hard thing. With your own work and material. It's helpful to hash it out with a friend or a colleague, but it's it's really kind of part of the job of bringing ideas to the world. And I wanted to say something to back to what you said earlier. Like, some people want to just do stuff for themselves. Other people want to put stuff out there. I do think it's important to have creative work that we do just for ourselves. I think that sort of autonomy, that creative authenticity, that freedom is important.

Cynthia Morris (00:29:28) - However, we get that. And if you're bringing stuff out to the world, to a marketplace that you want to sell, you really do want to have a generous perspective and connect with your audience.

Jonathan Fields (00:29:39) - Yeah, and it's a matter of knowing that, you know, you're doing that dance when you say yes to this process. And if you don't feel equipped to do it, either explore what would it take to acquire the skills to do it? What would it take to access the resources that would either help me walk through the process of being a coach, a course, or something like that, or to outsource it entirely, depending on what makes you what allows you to get this thing in your head out into the world in a way that feels best to you first. And because there are a lot of ideas, even if your big idea is out there in the world, it's not out there from you. It's not out there with your voice. It's not out there with your stories. It's not out there at the precise moment in time that you're ready to offer it, and with your precise point of view.

Jonathan Fields (00:30:34) - And there's meaning in all of those different things as well. So final thoughts before we wrap this up.

Cynthia Morris (00:30:40) - I think the meaning piece is a good place to end. The thing that I've seen for myself and others is that the things that we care most about are the things that are the most daunting. And so they seem to kind of go together. And I don't take that. Let's just say that's by design, that what we want and for the world and for our projects is going to call for us to change and grow and rise to meet that idea. I really love that perspective, because it takes a lot of pressure off having to have it figured out at the beginning, thinking you should get it right right away, just going into it, really connecting with why you care and what you're willing to devote to making this thing happen.

Jonathan Fields (00:31:23) - Love it. Thank you, Cynthia, for your wisdom. As always, thank you to our incredible Listening Committee for joining in. I hope you found value in this.

Jonathan Fields (00:31:32) - Bring those ideas to the world because we all need them. And if you need help doing it, go and find whatever that help looks like so that you can actually share it with those who need to hear it or see it or experience it. And we will see you here again next week on Sparked. Take care. Hey, so I hope you enjoyed that conversation. Learned a little something about your own quest to come alive and work in life, and maybe feel a little bit less alone along this journey to find and do what sparks you. And if you'd love to share your own moment and question with us, we would love to hear from you. Just go ahead and click on the submissions link in the show notes to get the details on how to do that. And remember, if you're at a moment of exploration, looking to find and do or even create work that makes you come more fully live, that brings more meaning and purpose and joy into your life, take the time to discover your own personal sparketype for free.

Jonathan Fields (00:32:28) - At Sparketype.com, it'll open your eyes to a deeper understanding of yourself and open the door to possibility like never before. And hey, if you're finding value in these conversations, please just take an extra second right now to follow and rate sparked in your favorite podcast app. This is so helpful in helping others find the show and growing our community so that we can all come alive and work in life together. Until next time, I'm Jonathan Fields and this is SPARKED.