Continuing in our Principles of Success series, let’s explore a human power unlike any
other, which you can harness and use to achieve amazing success in your own life!
But first, a quick review: In the early 1900’s, Napoleon Hill was commissioned to study and interview 500 highly successful Americans to determine if they shared common “success” traits. Through the many interviews that followed, Hill became convinced there is a formula for success, which he outlined in his 13 success principles. Anyone can apply these principles to achieve success in their own lives!
This week, let’s take a look at Success Principle #5 – a human power unlike any other. Can you guess what it is using the following hints?
- This ability may be the key to achieving unlimited success in life…
- It is the ability to dream big, to think “outside of the box”, and can lead to the great achievements in life.
- Think wheel, light bulb, telephone, air travel, computers, the Internet…
- “Mans’ only limitation, within reason, lies in his development and use of his imagination.” – Napoleon Hill
Did you figure it out? There are few things ultimately as powerful as the human imagination. As people, our constant desire to think beyond the here-and-now drives us to dream big, imagine the possible, and sometimes achieve amazing things. We each possess this power, yet few of us really use it.
Advancements like the wheel, the compass, the light bulb, the telephone, penicillin, air travel, and the Internet were all born out of the same thing: people imagined better.
Now, we don’t have to make such world-changing discoveries to leverage imagination for our own success. However, we each must understand our own power of imagination and learn how to use it to better our lives, and maybe even the lives of others!
Hill identified two kinds of Imagination: Synthetic and Creative
1. Synthetic Imagination – This is the re-arranging of old concepts, ideas or plans into new combinations. This is a creative way to combine pre-existing ideas or concepts and transform them into something different. Very little of what is created today is original, from scratch. Most “new developments” are simply a re-arranging of prior concepts to form a different idea. (Think of this as “creating a better mouse trap”.)
- Synthetic imagination improves upon what already exists.
- It is usually the synthetic imagination that becomes the vehicle for most financial success and is most often used to convert “desire” into money.
- Recent technologies fueled by synthetic imagination include: Google, Social Media, Wi-Fi, DVRs, and Smartphones.
2. Creative Imagination – Through the use of the creative imagination, Hill believed that the finite mind of man has direct communication with “Infinite Intelligence”, the creative source of the universe. It is through this form of imagination where we receive “hunches” and “inspirations”.
- Creative imagination brings new things into existence.
- It is interesting to note that the creative imagination works automatically.
- It functions only when the conscious mind is stimulated through the emotion of a strong desire.
- Using this skill, inventors can turn science fiction into reality, creating things like the light bulb, the telephone, and the Internet.
It is the real dreamers/inventers who tap into their creative imagination to produce truly unique advancements, creating not only personal wealth, but also improved well-being for all mankind.
Use it or Lose it?
Although one’s imagination may become weakened due to lack of use, Hill taught us that it can be revived and activated WITH USE. We all have the capacity to imagine, at any age. Imagination can be learned, fostered, and enticed – in the proper environment…
To achieve success by using your imagination requires the following:
- A burning desire/goal
- An activated imagination
- A PLAN to mold your imagination into a realized goal
Hill taught us that whatever you imagine, visualize, and expect in your internal world will be produced in your external world. Once you imagine what you want, you must build a plan and write it down to give “concrete form to the intangible desire”.
“Everything on this planet began as an intangible form of energy. Desire is a thought impulse. Thought impulses are forms of energy.” – Napoleon Hill
(Note: This has now been proven through quantum mechanics!)
Remember, in our pursuit of success, Hill taught us:
- Do not stop, or hesitate, in the study of these principles
- Ideas are the beginning points of all fortunes, the products of the imagination.
- Ideas can be transmuted into cash through the power of definite purpose, plus definite planning.
- Definiteness of purpose is the starting point from which one’s success must begin. Then, when fueled by a burning desire, that purpose takes on animation and power to become reality!
Leveraging people’s imagination can create a corporate culture of innovation, capable of yielding tremendous results! Within the world’s most innovative companies (like Apple, 3M, Google, and Amazon), imaginations are activated, inspired and put to use for the actualization of new or sometimes, seemingly radical ideas… Have you SEEN Google’s driverless car??
In companies like these, imagination spawns creativity (an individual phenomena), and inspires management-led innovation (a team effort).
Along these lines, you may have heard the word Imagineering, formed by combining the words “imagining” and “engineering”. In 1942, aluminum producer Alcoa developed this word stating: “Imagineering is letting your imagination soar, and then engineering it down to earth.” After WWII, Alcoa used this concept to produce 3-5 times as much aluminum as was ever made before, while make it cheaper than ever.
To this day, Imagineering is a process many successful organizations have adopted to envision “what could be”. Take Disney for example. Disney created a team called the “Imagineers”, responsible for the creation and development of Disney theme parks, resorts and cruises worldwide. Imagineering is a core concept used in their daily work. The Disney Imagineers’ mantra is: “If it can be dreamt, it can be built”.
Walt Disney understood Hill’s Principles of Success, especially this principle of the power of Imagination.
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”
“Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” – Walt Disney
Apply the following three Disney Imagineering principles to create your own opportunities for success: (From Alex Wright’s The Imagineering Field Guide to Disneyland.)
- Blue Sky: This describes the early stages of an idea-generation process when anything is possible. No reining in the creative process! At this point, the sky’s the limit!
- Brainstorm: Generate as many ideas as possible in the shortest time possible. Many brainstorming sessions are held regularly at WDI (Walt Disney Imagineering), always looking for the best ideas. Remember: there is no such thing as a bad idea and nothing should stifle the flow of ideas.
- Plussing: A word derived from Walt’s penchant for always trying to make an idea better. Imagineers are continually trying to plus work, even after it’s ‘finished’.
Think of practical ways to apply these techniques in your own business or area of responsibility! Imagine better. Leverage your imagination to always think of “what could be”.
To help you along, try these five steps to boost your imaginative abilities:
- Read more
- Try new things
- Explore your passions; Develop your talents; Play!
- Spend time with creative people
- Relax, meditate, and schedule down-time in your life to open your mind to imagining (This really works!)
Now – fire up your imaginative power to unleash your true potential for success! You can manifest YOUR imagination into reality, but you must believe in it, use it, and lay plans to achieve something with it… Imagine better, make improvements to something, tackle an old problem in a new way, and create new value for your customers!
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