I have always wondered why I am attracted to the number 17. I am not sure why, but I can’t even walk past a roulette table without betting on Black 17.

So today, while on the elliptical, I was listening to a conversation between Wayne Dyer and Esther Hicks. It was both entertaining and interesting, about the fact that it takes only 17 seconds to manifest or create an idea. When I realized that I was listening to this on the 17th of May, I thought I better pay attention and reflect on this and share the 17 second rule. The rule is that it takes 17 seconds for a thought — or a want or whatever you are thinking about — to start to gain momentum and become real.

So after reading and reflecting, I put it to the test and pulled out my weekly play-sheet with all of the projects that I am currently working on, and starting thinking about them. Trying to get some momentum going for them. What shocked me is that I barely really thought about any of them for even 5 seconds before getting distracted. Could it really be that 17 seconds is a long time to think about anything? OMG! How will I get momentum going if I can’t concentrate for 17 seconds?

So I set a stopwatch, trying not to look at it while I gave some of the projects I am working on positive vibes, just thinking about the results. Then, I started thinking about how companies that our group has formed in the past actually did become real from just a simple industry thought process —about what a particular industry did or didn’t do well and where people like ourselves might exploit it. Whether it be Pet Promise, Greenopolis or Wild Oats, it was never one person’s 17 seconds of thought. It was one person, giving to another person, who gave to another person the thought and discussion. And like a snowball building down a hill, it took an entire ensemble of people thinking about it and working on it.

Then, I thought about the fact that a 45-minute call is actually 159 – 17 second intervals. So you get where this is going. On my own, I could not have created or manifested any of those businesses. It was the collective group that built those businesses… One 17 second thought process at a time, that became more and more and more as the ensemble started to grow. Which it always does, if people buy into the idea or value prop.

So today, share your ideas. Don’t hold them tight or smother them because it is highly likely you will not get there on your own. You will get there with an ensemble of others that will join your thought process to string together 1000’s and 1000’s of 17 second strings of thought that will bring the project to reality.

If you have been thinking of a business concept or idea for an organization, today socialize it and see if it gets any momentum. An idea shared is an idea that will get momentum. If you have any question about that, reflect on how many times have you been told by someone that they had an idea —or maybe you said, wow, I had that idea, but nothing ever came of it because you didn’t string the momentum together with others.

I talk a lot about our Innovation Team. We have a daily call, and it is basically just to see if we can string two or three thoughts together to create some momentum.

One day, a friend of mine happen to call me while we where on the group call, so I put the team on hold, and answered the call from my friend. He said, “ Anthony, want to share a business idea.”  I listened to a little bit and asked him if he would mind if I asked him to share his idea with the group, and he said yes. So I merged him into the call right then and there and had him pitch the team. This was a couple of months ago and on last Friday, I received the LLC paperwork for the company. It is up and operating — with revenues after just a few months — incredible how this works.

Onward and upward —

AZ