You’re head is full of ideas. You can’t possibly pursue every single one (I know you’ve tried it).

So how do you pick the best ideas? The most profitable ideas? The most valuable ideas? How do you filter through all the ideas in your head to find the ones really worth pursuing?

I think I may have something that could help you. See if the I AM PREPPED acrostic helps.

First Thing’s First — I AM

“I AM” stands for the great, I AM. As in God. I’d suggest asking yourself if God is cool with your idea.

A lot of impactful, money-making ideas aren’t “good”. Auschwitz was an idea once—one that shouldn’t have been pursued.

Asking help from above is a great first filter because it gets rid of all the worthless and most hurtful ideas.

No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the LORD. — Proverbs 21:30

P.R.E.P.P.E.D.

The remaining seven letters each stand for a specific word or phrase to help you rate your idea.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Rate the following 1 (very little) to 10 (very much). Add them up, and you have your idea rating out of 70. Then, I’ll show what your score means.

P.assion

How passionate are you about this idea?

Can you see yourself working on this idea 5 years from now? 10 years? The rest of your life?

You don’t want to spend all your time and energy on an idea you don’t like. So let’s rate the level of passion you have for your idea.

R.evenue Potential

How much potential is there to make a good amount of money on this deal?

Maybe making money is not your focus, but charitable ideas have bills to pay too. How do you plan on covering the costs?

The more profitable the idea, the more likely it is to become a reality—from both a practical standpoint and personal motivation standpoint.

E.ase to Implement

How easy will this idea be to build/implement/get rolling?

Finding the simplest approach to your idea is paramount for making it a reality. Also, all ideas have a lot more details than you can imagine right now.

The more easy an idea is to implement, the more likely it is to become a reality.

P.osition

Regarding your current position (technically, financially, relationally, etc.), how well can you pursue this opportunity?

If my everyday job is all about cats, then I’m more likely to accomplish my veterinary clinic idea than my flexible touchscreen idea.

You might not get as far as you’d like if you’re position in life does not compliment your idea.

P.urpose

How well does this align with your core life’s purpose(s)?

Do you want to spend the next 5-10 years on something you look back on and say, “Well, I made the idea happen, but it didn’t really help me pursue the purpose I want in life.”

It’s easy to overlook an idea’s alignment with your purpose, but it’s an important thing to consider when working on something that may take up so much of your precious time and energy.

E.xperience

How much (valuable) experience will you gain from this pursuit?

Some ideas are worth pursuing because of the experience you will gain in the process of building it out; like something you’d want on your resume.

The amount of (valuable) experience you’ll gain from pursuing an idea is worth calculating.

D.emand

Is it in demand? Is it an innovation or a novelty?

It’s a challenge to have a successful idea if no one want’s anything to do with it…

You also may consider asking if this idea is an innovation—one of the first of it’s kind; something to change the industry altogether—or a novelty—something that’s not really needed but kind of fun for some people. You can find a lot of success in both areas, but it’s good to know in which category it falls.

It may not be worth your time if no one else needs it.

What’s Your Score?

Tally up the score from the above seven sections.

Anything above 50 is likely a worthy pursuit. It has a higher rating of completion.

40-50 is worth keeping in your hopper to consider later if things change.

30-40 are fun to talk about, but probably not fun to pursue much further than that.

< 30 is good for keeping your brain on its toes and preventing Alzheimer’s. ;)

Now what?

Subscribe to my mailing list to get more info on helping you better pursue your amazing ideas.

You can also follow me, @kevinkirchner on twitter to learn more about what to do when you have an idea worth pursuing.