From the book (Think and Grow Rich) by Napoleon Hill (Page 92)
Through the aid of his imaginative faculty, man has discovered, and harnessed, more of Nature’s forces during the past fifty years than during the entire history of the human race, previous to that time. He has conquered the air so completely, that the birds are a poor match for him in flying. He has harnessed the ether, and made it serve as a means of instantaneous communication with any part of the world. He has analyzed, and weighed the sun at a distance of millions of miles, and has de- termined, through the aid of IMAGINATION, the elements of which it consists. He has discovered that his own brain is both a broadcasting, and a receiving station for the vibration of thought, and he is beginning now to learn how to make practical use of this discovery. He has increased the speed of locomotion, until he may now travel at a speed of more than three hundred miles an hour. The time will soon come when a man may breakfast in New York, and lunch in San Francisco.
Imagine that!
About 10 years ago I started reading the book Drive: 9 Ways to Motivate Your Kids to Achieve ~By Janine Walker Caffrey. One of the things that I remember most about the book is the section about the importance of children being able to use their imagination.
One thing that the book pointed out is how today’s children have too much structure because we as parents are sooo busy. As time goes on, most children find themselves going through the same old thing day after day in which they must….
Go to school and follow a routine...
Go to the sitter, an after school program, sports practice, band practice, etc and follow a routine...
Rush home at the end of the day and follow a routine….
Get up in the morning and follow a routine….
With all of this structure, we probably shouldn’t wonder why so many children are always talking about they’re bored. They spend most of their time either being told what to do or waiting to be told what to do. According to the book, routines are great for children as long as the routine includes a child being able to use their imagination. These children will grow up to be adults that are always waiting to be told what to do.
What kind of childhood did you have? Did you have a strict routine where you were always being told what to do and how to do it? Or was your childhood like mine whereas you had more freedom to use your imagination? And how has your childhood positively and negatively impacted your adult life?
For me, as a child, having the freedom let my imagination run wild has helped me in my adult life to quickly come up with solid solutions to a variety of situations. On the flip side, sometimes I’ll take on too many projects at one time.
In any case, we have to be able to imagine the possibilities of being able to have GREAT things. If we can’t imagine ourselves getting paid to do what we love to do, then we’ll never get paid to do what we love to do. Blocking Time to IMAGINE is probably one of the most important things that we can do, after all, it’s the only way that we can Think and Grow Rich.
~Matthew
Food for thought…
From the article: “How much does a lack of imagination limit our adult lives?” Click Here Imagination, to me, is the key to happiness. Imagining your way out of a bad day can keep you happy and satisfied. Of course, thinking positive thoughts is more likely to make you feel happy and mentally healthy! So, imaging, in many ways, can simply make you feel happy, and those who don't wish to daydream about their next vacation or next relationship, are simply limiting themselves from this happiness. ~Vinit Shah