The Power of Imagination

“Every great railroad, and every great outstanding financial institution and every mammoth business enterprise, and every great invention, began in the imagination of some one person.”

Napoleon Hill, “The Laws of Success”

A friend of mine had expressed to me at one point that she saw no reason to read fictional books. She felt that there was nothing to gain by reading fiction. I am sure she is not alone in her opinion and there are probably plenty of others who would agree with her. I just happen to disagree with that notion.

When I read a good fictional book, which on average is one a month, I exercise my imagination. While I am reading it, I picture the scenery, the characters, the interactions, and my mind begins to play out the possibilities of what is going to happen next. For me, reading good fictional works stirs my imagination.

The imagination is the foundation of your success. When you begin to define what success looks like for you, you are using your imagination to picture what it looks like when you become successful. The more grandiose the picture you create, the more likely you will create that for yourself when you combine it with the other laws of success.

What do you see?

Previously, we talked about the importance of imagination in leadership. In this post, I would like to explore some ideas of how we can exercise our imagination and help develop it.

First idea, get together with some other people and talk through a problem or an idea. Invite people you know to be imaginative and who come up with creative ideas. Allow each person to contribute their ideas and solutions. Keep the time together focused on the main idea and you will have a mastermind session that will present more thoughts than one individual could do on their own.

Not too long ago, a friend of mine brought together about 12 other people to talk through an issue. He presented the purpose of the gathering and he wanted to find some solutions to the problem he presented.  Each person present shared his concern at some level or at least had an affinity to the topic at hand. This mastermind session brought forth ideas and thoughts outside of his own thinking. He had plenty of extra ideas to work with after a few short hours of collaborative thinking.

Here’s another idea, engage in some form of art. Create something with your hands. Write a poem or song. Paint or draw a picture. Plan a future celebratory event of your success. Don’t worry about the end result, enjoy the process. Allow your imagination to freely create.

You may feel like you are not that imaginative or creative. So find someone who does have an active imagination and build an alliance with that person. Surrounding yourself with creative people will help you become more imaginative. The key is to your success is to exercise your imagination. It can be developed with practice.

Take a step today to unleash the power of your imagination. Look at your calendar and find a time where you can spend 2-3 hours being creative. Make a commitment to expand your imagination.

 

New Blog Series Coming Your Way

We will be starting a couple of new blog series this week after taking a brief hiatus. For our Wednesday Boost, we will be going through the writings of Napoleon Hill. We will look at his “Laws of Success Course” and “Think and Grow Rich.” The posts will lean more heavily on the application of his works toward leadership. Both works are public domain and we will post links to each of them.

The second series of posts will be for our Monday Jump Start. This series will focus on personal development. We will start with a few ideas from Dale Carnegie, and then move on to some other great resources.

Our Finish Strong posts for Fridays will be a random collection of thoughts from the week.

Over the next several months, we would also like to include some interviews with leaders. We will be looking for leaders who may or may not be well known but have demonstrated strong leadership. Feel free to suggest leaders you know who would be willing to share what they have learned.

Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Feel free to make suggestions in regards to what you want to know more about when it comes to leadership, personal development, and entrepreneurship.

 

Take Action – Stop SOPA

Open Congress – A great way to send messages to your elected officials on things that matter to you.

 

 

Where are You Looking for YOUR Success?

When it comes to your success, do you find yourself looking out the window or in the mirror? Often times, our dream of success is based on what we see in others whom we deem successful. We look out the window and watch them. We wonder what it would be like to have their success. We buy their books, their videos, and anything they sell to somehow become successful like them.

I am realizing in my life that I have been looking through the window to try and identify success for me. I have been reading books on how to become successful in life, business, speaking, finances, relationships, leadership, and the list goes on and on. I have been trying to uncover the principles of what makes people successful so that I, too, can become successful like them.

This realization came to me as a result of hiring a coach to guide me through the process of identifying what success looks like for me. Now, you may not need to hire a coach to do that for you if you can truly define success for you. The benefit of a coach guiding you through the process is they are looking in from the outside. A good coach knows how to ask the right questions to identify your core desires. Once there is a clear picture of what you want, a road map can be designed to guide you toward your success.

When it comes to your success and my success, we should spend some more time looking in the mirror. What does success look like to the person in the mirror? What we see in the mirror will be unique. There may be some things that we saw looking out the window that resonated with what we want to see in the mirror. However, we must look in the mirror to truly find our own success. Once we have defined it for ourselves, we can then find the tools, mentors, and resources that will further what we want to accomplish with our lives.

 

A Blank Page

Anyone who writes on a regular basis knows what it is like to stare at a blank page waiting for some inspiration as to what to write. I find the blank page comforting as I have no deadlines other than the ones I place on myself. I have no compulsory reason to write other than my desire to share something to encourage others to live an EPIC Journey through life.

When a blank page is before me and I don’t have a clue as to what I need to share, it leads me to a time of reflection. I begin to review my past week. What lessons did I learn this past week? What did I read and discover that I should pass on to you? What am I grateful for that happened in the last week?

What I have discovered in my life is I need more blank page time. I need to step away from everything and have a time of reflection. Take some time today to reflect on what has been happening in your life over the last week. You might surprise yourself and find there is plenty of great things going on in your life.

 

Imagination -

Looking into the night sky as a young boy, I often thought about what lies beyond our solar system. This intrigue of the universe was expanded when the movie, “Star Wars,” was made. It resonated with me as George Lucas created this whole other galaxy teeming with different life forms and advanced technology. At one point in my life, this desire to know what is beyond our skies led me in the direction of pursuing aerospace engineering as my chosen career path.

“MAN’S ONLY LIMITATION, within reason, LIES IN HIS DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF HIS IMAGINATION”

Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich

As a child, we spent countless hours using our imaginations to create the most spectacular worlds in which we played. From forts made of snow to closets becoming train cars (yes, my sister and I imagined the two closets with sliding doors in my room as train cars), there was no limits to our imagination. Then somewhere along the way as we got older, we put our imagination on a shelf and rarely take it down and use it.

Leaders need to understand the unlocking or taking your creative imagination off the shelf is essential to innovation and growth. Leaders who develop and exercise their imagination are far better at finding solutions to problems, creating fresh new ideas, and inspiring others to follow. The continual use of imagination opens doors others cannot see. The use of creative imagination has led to countless discoveries, unique experiences, life-saving medical procedures, products and services that have made life easier, efficient, or fun, peace to hostile situations, and so much more. One creative idea alone can change the world.

When was the last time you exercised your imagination? What would you do if you knew there were no limits? Every one of us has the capability to use this powerful resource to create something that will open the doors to fulfilling our most desired goal or dream. Take some time today to exercise your imagination.

 

Preparing for the Next Level

Opportunities to advance to the next level may come at a moment’s notice.  People move.  Promotions leave vacancies.  Growth opens new doors.  Firings happen.  Great leaders are always preparing for the next opportunity while others are trying to catch up or scramble to look qualified to move up.

There are several ways leaders ready themselves for opportune times. First, leaders are always learning more to increase their knowledge base.  Whether it is learning about systems within their company that are outside their normal scope of responsibilities or acquiring more knowledge about their product/services, there is a hunger to know more. Leaders understand that knowledge is power in the information age. Those who have no desire to invest in further knowledge will be passed up and passed by when opportunity presents itself.

Acquisition of knowledge is not the primary goal of the leader. As leaders accumulate more knowledge, they search for ways to apply that knowledge to improve skill sets or add new skill sets in order to become a more valuable asset to the company or for their own personal development. They don’t wait for opportunities to improve their skills; they take the initiative. Great leaders are often found serving in volunteer roles in their community as a way of sharing what they have learned and giving back. Leaders live with eyes wide open.

Opportunities open up for those willing to do more than what is asked of them as well.  No matter how frustrating it may be to watch others try to do the least they can do for the time they are being paid for, leaders will continue to press on knowing their efforts don’t go unnoticed.  There is an old saying that if you need something done, give it to a busy person.  Those who go beyond their expected duties, will usually be given more responsibility and their value will have increased.  Wise leaders will know their boundaries when asked to go beyond their expected role as well.

Finally, leaders who know where they are going can act decisively when opportunity presents itself. There is no need for long, drawn-out delays to ponder an opportunity at their doorstep. When a leader has a focal point, all that they do, every interaction they have, all of it has been for a purpose or a goal that is always top of mind. Decisions are made faster as there is a foundation of understanding of the destination and that keeps the leader’s intuition ready at a moment’s notice.

Jump-start the week by creating opportunities for yourself. Pick up a book and begin reading. Look for ways to do more than is being asked. Know decisively where you want to go so when opportunity knocks, you can open the door.

 

Inch by Inch

The New Year has begun and you have set some goals to accomplish a task, reach a benchmark, change something, or become something. As you take a look back at your progress, how are you doing toward reaching that goal? Are you making progress? I hope that you are. By the off chance that you are not making progress or you have been tempted to give up, let me give you a suggestion that will help you Finish Strong!

The journey of success is taking small steps consistently. It may seem that you are inching your way forward slowly but in time, you will make great strides. I love what Darren Hardy wrote in his book,

“You know that expression, “Slow and steady wins the race”?
Ever heard the story of the tortoise and the hare? Ladies and
gentlemen, I’m the tortoise. Give me enough time, and I will
beat virtually anybody, anytime, in any competition. Why?
Not because I’m the best or the smartest or the fastest. I’ll win
because of the positive habits I’ve developed, and because of
the consistency I use in applying those habits. I’m the world’s
biggest believer in consistency. I’m living proof that it’s the
ultimate key to success, yet it’s one of the biggest pitfalls
for people struggling to achieve. Most people don’t know
how to sustain it. I do. I have my father to thank for that. In
essence, he was my fi rst coach for igniting the power of the
Compound Effect.”

Darren Hardy, The Compound Effect

When you make consistent small steps toward a goal, it will begin to compound the effects. The key is to consistently move forward inch by inch. For example, if you chose to read for 15 minutes a day material in your chosen field of business or in a subject matter you want to become a resource, you will have only read an hour and 45 minutes in the first week. If you averaged a page a minute, 105 pages in a week. That may not seem like a lot, but if you consistently read for 15 minutes a day, in a year’s time, you will have read 91 hours and 15 minutes for a total of 5475 pages. If the average book was 250 pages, that would be roughly 22 books in a year. Do you think that by reading that small amount a day will have an impact on your career or business? Absolutely. If you continued this course of action for 5 years, you will have read 27,375 pages or 110 books to improve yourself or your understanding of your industry.

Look for the small steps you need to take to make progress on your goals. Take small consistent steps, moving inch by inch, and it will have significant results in your life and business.

 

A Personal Tribute to a Leader

This week Stan Saxton, a friend and mentor of mine while I was in high school and college, passed away. This is my tribute to his life as I reflect on his influence on me.

Stan was one of my most beloved mentors during a very formative time of my life. He lived what he taught to the very best of his ability, and was never afraid to take on the difficult questions that I would throw his way. He taught me responsibility by giving me responsibility. I can still remember that he and his nephew, Stephen, left the entire dairy farm in my hands while the family took time to travel and I was just a high school student.

Stan took me under his wings to show me how an elder of the church visits and shares with those who were hurting or in need. He laid his hands on me during my ordination ceremony to bless me in my life’s calling. I know he spent countless hours praying on my behalf. He encouraged me as I began speaking at the age of 16 at the Granville Center Church of Christ on different occasions.

Stan was the type of person who was calm under pressure and saw no reason for heightened anxiety over things which we had no control. The way he lived his life was a great example to all who had the privilege to know him.

Stan was not only my mentor and my employer, he was one of my elders, my teachers, and most importantly, a friend. Stan’s life has touched many and his legacy lives on in those of us who learned so much from his life’s example.

Stan Saxton Obiturary

May peace rest on his family and friends during this time of loss.

 

Choice of Words

Certain words carry with them deep meanings and feelings. The very utterance of those powerful words can create an emotional response in a person, a group, an audience, or even the world. Oftentimes our subconscious mind picks up the word even if our conscious mind seems to have glossed over it.

Recently, I was reviewing a free series of training videos with the end goal of the provider desiring to sign up the viewers for a coaching program (I knew this was the reason for the videos when I began to watch them). I learned some great things in the first video and was really excited about the material. When I got midway through the third video, the presenter answered the following question that supposedly came from those watching the videos:

“If you could only pick one strategy to move people to action, what would you pick?”

Here is the full response verbatim given to answer the question (I purposefully left out the company name and the highlights are mine):

“That’s easy: manipulation. Now the thing is, manipulation has a very negative connotation to it, so I want to tell you what I tell my ****** clients. If you really have something that can help people in their business or their lives, then I really believe it is your responsibility to make sure you do whatever you can to help them say “yes.” Otherwise, they are going to be circling around and they’re going to need help for this for a really long time, and eventually they’re going to find someone else who will come up with your knowledge or your products or your services, who will finally serve them.

I believe to the bottom of my soul if we can help people, we need to do everything we can to serve them and give them what they truly want, nothing more than what they want, but nothing less either. So when we move people with that level of integrity, then (the) manipulation we are using is what I call ‘ethical manipulation.’ And that is the most important thing you can do to move people to action.“

When you hear the word “manipulation,” what vibe does that word give off? Would you agree with the presenter that it has a “very negative connotation?” As soon as I heard the person say that it was the one strategy they would pick, I cringed. The presenter then tries to justify the use of this negative word as if they know what is best for the person to whom they are selling their product and services. It is all for the “ethical” purpose for the potential buyer to say “yes” to their product or service before they find it from the competition. This reminds me of a movie my wife and I watched recently:

Tangled 

Disney’s version of the story of Rapunzel, who was kidnapped as a baby and manipulated by Mother Gothel to believe the tower was the only safe place for Rapunzel to live, when in fact it was the only place where Mother Gothel could get what she wanted while hindering Rapunzel from choosing a life of her own.

After deciding that I would NOT EVER buy any of the presenter’s materials or services after hearing that statement, I listened to the final free video realizing that this would be the final pitch for their services. The presenter outlined the six-week online coaching course that was all based on “Ethical Manipulation.” They chose to use this philosophy as the basis of their success and the success you could have, too, when you learn the steps of “Ethical Manipulation.” The cost of the program was revealed with free bonuses “worth over $250,000.” Yeah, after hearing the word “manipulation” so much, my subconscious mind devalued every add-on to the coaching course.

Here is the takeaway for you and I as leaders: To lead positive change in people’s lives, you don’t have to manipulate. Be thorough in what you teach, present, and share so that people can make their own decisions. As people get to know you, like you, and trust you, you don’t have to manipulate them to buy your products or services or follow after you as a leader. They will naturally come to you because of the relationship you chose to build on honesty. And when you provide MORE value than what they want or anticipate, not this “nothing more than what they want,” you will win over the competition every time.

Also remember that your choice of words will have an impact either positively or negatively on people be it consciously or subconsciously. Choose your words wisely to make the impact you desire.