Imagination

Imagination

I am still working my way through Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. It has been a bit since I last wrote. Had cervical spinal surgery last week and have been on the mend since then. Surgery went well and I am obediently wearing my neck brace. Neck gets really tired and sore but then it’s only been a week so guess I should expect that. Before the surgery I had read and been prepared to write about Imagination, so have had plenty of time to think about the subject.

Imagination is the Workshop of the Mind and the 5th Step towards Riches. Imagination is something we are all born with, although as adults you wouldn’t tend to notice that we have any at all. There are 2 kinds of imagination, synthetic imagination and creative imagination. Synthetic imagination is the one people use most often. It is used when we arrange old concepts, ideas or plans into new combinations. It isn’t really coming up with anything new, just using the old, common things in a new way or for a new purpose. This is something we mostly all use all the time. Kind of like taking the familiar ingredients and making a new dish for dinner. New but not so much.

The creative imagination is different. It is much less prevalent. It is coming up with something no one has ever touched on or come up with before. Napoleon says “Through the faculty of creative imagination, the finite mind of man has direct communication with Infinite Intelligence. It is the faculty through which “hunches” and “inspirations” are received.” This is the type of imagination that most people wish to experience, but few actually do.

Like I said above I have been thinking about “imagination” for the last week. Everyone is born with a vivid imagination. BUT we go to school and learn to conform. We learn during our 1st art project that we are supposed to make things like everyone else. From day one we are forced into a cookie cutter mold that squashes any creative juices we have. We are told how and what to think, how to draw, how to color, how to do projects. Sure somewhere along the line we are allowed to do a “creative writing” assignment but even that is controlled and regulated. Kids start out before they enter school as wide eyed innocent beings. They come out years later from school as mass produced cookie cutter graduates. The only ones who still have any creative abilities are actually seen as rebels, the ones who didn’t conform to the norm. Unfortunately, those that didn’t fit in the mold usually ended up dropping out of school and people looking at them as failures. I just think it is wrong that we destroy the creative minds of our kids. We never know what their potential is or was. Sure we know if they can jump through the hoops and spit out the answers for the tests. THOSE are the successful students. It is just sad how many people have lost their ability to think and create, all in the name of education.

I know I was one of those who jumped through the hoops, spit out the “right” answers and got good grades. I lost my ability to “free think”. I was always too afraid to think outside the box and come up with something new. I was a people pleaser who wanted to fit in. Now I look back and wish I had been more of a rebel and able to think for myself. I don’t think the school systems realize what they are doing and how they have across the board hindered imagination.

OK – got off on a bit of a tangent. Tomorrow I will continue with Napoleon Hill and Imagination. But until then feel free to check out Empower Network. I am sure you will be pleased. Empower Network is helping to open my eyes and showing me there is a positive future waiting for me to just reach out and grab. No more cookie cutter life for me.

Enjoy,
Charyl aka mom8isme