Do you want to add more excitement to your life?
Would you like a fool-proof tool that will add sizzle to your romance (or safety & health program if that’s what turns you on)?
How would you like to tap into a free, no obligation, satisfaction guaranteed method to solving your most difficult problems (including getting your boss to give you more money for training)?
No medication or medical procedure required.
All you need to do is… plug into your imagination!
Humans can imagine anything. Since I presume you are a human you too can imagine anything. That includes solutions to your challenges; fun ways to eliminate boredom; innovative ways to engage employees during safety meetings and everything else you can imagine—which is everything!
Einstein realized how powerful our imagination is. Several times he spoke about it. (i.e. “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”) In fact, he attributed his success as a theoretical physicist to his imagination, not his ability to understand complicated equations and concepts. (I’m almost finished listening to his biography by Walter Isaacson. I highly recommend it.)
Here are a few ways you can strengthen your miracle problem solver and better tap into its amazing power:
Believe You Are Imaginative! You’ve got to believe you are “imaginative.” Too often when I host seminars and ask attendees to use their imagination I hear “I’m not the creative type.” It’s too hard for me to think of something different, blah, blah, blah. What tickles me is that often, after I’ve encouraged them, these same people come up with awesome ideas. Remember this: You have the same equipment (brain and mind) as the most renown thinkers in the world. Of course, you’ve got to do more than just believe in your abilities. Like any skill, you’ve got to work at it and take some practical steps to strengthen your imagination muscles. Such as . . .
Vary Your Experiences. If you do the same thing every day; wake up, go to work, stop at the same store on the way home, eat dinner, watch the same shows on TV, etc. you are not giving your imagination much to work with. Routines feel good. That’s why we stick with them. New experiences can be challenging but they stretch your senses and thoughts. Don’t wait for a vacation to experience something new. Check out a new store or go to a public lecture on a subject you know little about. You don’t have to do this constantly, but at least enough to shake the cobwebs off your routines.
Read Different Stuff. Over the years I have come up with many creative ideas from reading magazines that I randomly picked out of an airport store. Likewise with the books, I read a wide variety. Just as having the same experiences will stifle your imagination, if you only read one type of magazine or book you will be doing a disservice to your creativity. Try reading (or at least looking through) a magazine that you would never normally read. The first time I read Opray Winfrey’s magazine “O” I was amazed at the variety. (I’m not an Opray groupie, but I did think the issue I read, which I would never normally buy, was excellent.)
Open up your problem solving. If you are trying to solve a problem or come up with a new idea for a safety campaign/meeting—whatever, try this: Put the problem aside but keep your mind’s eye open to everything you experience and be ready for a solution to arrive. Example: I was trying to come up with a way to make understanding the difference between radiation and radioactive material easier for a group of painters in my new employee session. Using my standard examples weren’t working.
So, I put the problem aside and waited for something to trigger my imagination. While I was shopping at a grocery store, I happen to glance at a box of butter cookies. Eureka! I bought the cookies. My children and I changed the cover to “Beta Butter Cookies.” I also created a box of “Neutron Wafers” and an “Alpha-Gamma Snack Mix.” By using the cookies and snacks as examples (I had volunteers eat the cookies; then we discussed what would happen if they truly were radioactive.) the painters were able to grasp the concept of radiation vs. radioactive material much easier. Plus, it was fun!
These are just a few of the many ways you can build up and tap into your miracle problem solver. (I’ll write about the other ways in future articles.) I’ve also created a talk and seminar on the topic designed for safety leaders to help them improve thier safety program (and life) with their imagination. (Just Imagine! Creative ways to keep your safety program fresh and alive.)
What do you do to exercise your imagination? Let me know. I’d love to include it in my blogs or books.
’till next time.
Richard
