Imagination

"Imagination is more important than knowledge"

So said, Albert Einstein. And you know what? He's right. Imagination is the foundation of all new thinking. And it is with new thinking that you can best tackle the myriad of problems that life throws at you.

Of course they say you should not reinvent the wheel, and this is true to an extent. But borrowing other peoples ideas is not the whole story. These solutions need to be modified to fit in with your situation. They can be improved, made even more useful.

And this is to say nothing of the power of imagination in setting and achieving goals. Being able to picture what you want, makes you much more likely to get it. Lets talk about visualization next time, ok?

Imagination

I want to talk again about Young Gunsaulus, the clergyman, who found $1 million within 36 hours of deciding in his own mind to get it.

In the modern economy, power and money is no longer tied up to land and factories but to minds and ideas. This means that the key to success is within the reach of everybody. And I am more and more convinced that our own thoughts are the obstacle we have to overcome in order to find success. What do I mean? I mean that, we do not believe in our own minds that we can make things happen.

Too many of us, have had it drummed into our heads, that there is a set way to make money. Go to school, get a job, work hard. But this is WRONG. That used to be the best way to make money (its arguable if it was ever the best way), but now, the limits of achievement have been broken. People with no tangible assets, can create wealth like never before in human history. The story from the first chapter, of Edwin Barnes arriving at Edison's doorstep with nothing, and becoming rich within 5 years are more likely to happen now than ever before. Except, nowadays, you could do it in much less than 5 years.

The fact is, success is within the reach of all of us, but what we need is the principles that Napoleon Hill espouses, and the belief that we can achieve it. The decision followed by belief is crucial. If we only had the guts to back ourselves, with the appropriate advice, we can create wealth out of "thin air". There are billions of dollars circulating through the world economy every day. It is not beyond possibility for you to claim your share of it...if you are ready.

Imagination

This chapter feeds off the concept in the last chapter, that it is ideas that will set you apart from the rest. It is imagination that you will rely on to create new plans, and it is the strength of your plans that will determine your success.

Brian Tracy, the prolific self-improvement author suggests writing down 20 solutions to every problem. This technique feeds directly into the concept that producing more means eventually producing better. Out of 20 solutions, 19 may be hopeless, but 1 could be just the solution you were looking for. And the more ideas you have, the more your mind makes connections, and you can come up with new and interesting possibilities.

Its interesting to note that throughout history, some of the most successful people in the arts and science (Picasso, Edison) have also been the most prolific. They produced a lot, and of their output, some of it was brilliant, but equally some of it was not-so-brilliant.

I'm still coming to terms with the sad fact that I will not write a brilliant blog on my first attempt. I will need to keep writing, and producing post after post, before I can produce excellence. And unfortunately in amongst some of my output will be some total crap...