How to Make Progress on Your Income Stream Ideas
Oct 21, 2025Why clarity, not more planning, moves you forward
We bought the house with big dreams for the basement.
I pictured game nights, a cozy couch, maybe even a small home office. But that vision expanded quickly. I started adding more ideas—what if we moved the washer and dryer? Added a door? Shifted the walls? Installed new lighting?
Each good idea added more time, more decisions, more overwhelm. And here’s the truth: I spent a year spinning in the planning stage—without putting up a single wall.
And that’s exactly what happens when therapists and helpers try to build a new income stream or course.
Too Many Ideas Can Stall Good Work
If you’re like me, you probably have a dozen ideas every month.
• A group program for your clients
• A course for helpers like you
• A resource library to serve more people
You’re not short on ideas. You’re full of them. That’s a strength.
But without boundaries, those ideas multiply. Suddenly, a small course becomes a 12-module beast. You start researching platforms, marketing strategies, design tools—and never publish a thing.
This isn’t laziness. It’s fear disguised as preparation.
We trick ourselves into thinking more planning equals more progress. But too often, it’s just a delay.
Define Your Finish Line
The basement turned around when I stopped adding ideas and started drawing boundaries.
“This wall goes here. The couch goes there. I’ll leave the plumbing where it is.”
That’s when progress began.
It’s the same with your offer. You need a clear, small finish line—a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Think:
- One helpful PDF instead of a full toolkit
- A 30-minute workshop instead of a six-week course
- One lesson you can record this weekend
Your MVP is the simplest, most useful version of your idea. It’s the line in the sand that says: “Once I hit this, I’m done. I can launch.”
You’re Probably Already Halfway There
Here’s what I see over and over again: therapists and helpers build half a wall.
They outline a course. They sketch some slides. They write lesson titles.
Then they get overwhelmed and start adding. More features. More content. More research.
But you don’t need more.
You need to pause, define what “done” looks like, and commit to finishing it—even if it’s messy.
As Greg McKeown says in Essentialism, “When we don’t purposefully and deliberately choose where to focus our energies and time, other people—our bosses, our colleagues, our clients, and even our families—will choose for us.”
Progress Comes from Choosing, Not Perfecting
You may feel stuck, but you’re not broken. You’re just unclear.Your best next step isn’t more brainstorming—it’s drawing a finish line.
Here’s how to start:
- Pick one income idea you’re most excited about
- Write down what “done” looks like (your MVP)
- Set a simple finish date
- Tell someone about it (or email me—I’d love to hear)
Then take your first step. Even if it’s small. Especially if it’s small.
Let This Be Your Sign
Your income stream idea doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to help.
So draw the line. Name your finish. Start building.
Your course might be the answer someone’s praying for.
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