Just as Muhammad Ali, often acknowledged as the world's greatest boxer of all time, put it so eloquently:

“The man who has no imagination has no wings.”

It's likely that most of the readers here already know that the late Bob Proctor had also been a great fan of Dr Maxwell Maltz and the Psycho-Cybernetics classic.

As a matter of fact, one of Bob Proctor's signature seminar products, often designated as Paradigms and/or Paradigm Shifts, are essentially intellectual parallels to Dr Maxwekk Maltz's Power of Self-Image Psychology.

For the fun of it, and as a part of my usual creative juxtaposition games in the headspace, I have now lined up Bob Proctor's core ideas, as expressed in his three selected elegant quotes shown below, against Dr Maxwell Maltz's core ideas, as expressed in these astute observations of his:

Do you see the uncanny resemblance in key essence and delivery scope among them?

[Just remember, imagination or imaging also entails seeing in the mind's eye, and feeling is always fueled by belief!]

"A human being always acts and feels and performs in accordance with what he imagines to be true about himself and his environment…

For imagination sets the goal ‘picture’ which our automatic mechanism works on.

We act, or fail to act, not because of ‘will,’ as is so commonly believed, but because of imagination."

" You act, and feel, not according to what things are really like, but according to the image your mind holds of what they are like.

You have certain mental images of yourself, your world, and the people around you, and you behave as though these images were the truth, the reality, rather than the things they represent."

"Your nervous system cannot tell the difference between an imagined experience and a ‘real’ experience.

In either case, it reacts automatically to information which you give to it from your forebrain.

Your nervous system reacts appropriately to what you THINK or IMAGINE to be ‘true.’... "!

What a synchroneity! Bravissimo!

Just realise that imagination transcends Space and Time. 

With that steadfast image in your mind's eye, just proceed to think. 

There's no boundary. There's no box.

Our imagination is one of the keys to a productive life. 

In fact, life is only limited by a lack of imagination. 

Our imagination is the key to untold worlds when we grow up as children. 

And it has been shown that children with very active imaginations are more likely to dream as adults and strive for more things.

As a matter of fact, the late Bob Proctor said it best:

"Imagination is the greatest nation in the world! 

Remember - no limitation can be placed on you by any one but yourself.

With your imagination you have a unique ability to draw on an infinite source of supply."

"We can build anything in our imagination that's where all creation begins in your life.

Of course, I haven't yet forgotten what Albert Einstein had asseted:

"Imagination is everything. It is the preview to life's coming attraction."

Here are some interesting prompts and witticisms which I have had excerpted from Dilip Mukerjea's new book, Conquering Critical Thinking: Breaking Through from How to Wow! 

What would you do if you had the power to do more?

Know that YOU have the FREEDOM to express yourself! Do so!

The most powerful force in the cosmos isn’t technology: it’s IMAGINATION! 

The NUMBER ONE PROBLEM in the world, as is commonly assumed, is not global warming, food and water shortage, political corruption, war and terrorism, poverty, unemployment, planetary pollution, and other such elements: it is the stark INABILITY TO THINK CLEARLY. 

Confusion Immobilises; CLARITY IS POWER! 

By our citizenry being able to think clearly, we possess the power to eradicate all of the above-mentioned maladies. 

The quality of our lives and that of what we produce, create, or build, depends precisely on the quality of our thoughts.

Be purposefully engaged in becoming a world-class thinker across all contexts. 

Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with BIG dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts. Excellence! You HAVE to demand it of yourself! 

Any ape can reach for a peanut. Only we can reach for the stars!

Believe, as did Andrew Carnegie, that “definiteness of purpose” is the crucial starting point for all success—that “the man who knows exactly what he wants… has no difficulty in believing in his own ability to succeed.”

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former. ~ Albert Einstein

Before we work on Artificial Intelligence, why don't we do something about Natural Stupidity?

I particularly like this astute assertion of Matt Furey, President of the Psycho-Cybernetics Foundation:

"Overcoming obstacles is infinitely easier when you change your mental images from 'IMPOSSIBILITY' to 'PROBABILITY': from 'THERE IS NO WAY' to 'HERE'S THE WAY'!"

Imagination is truly the power behind novel experiences. In order to crea I te new things we must first imagine them in our minds and our consciousness.

As Albert Einstein so cleverly put it, “imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions,” I love this visual imaging of a preview of coming attractions.

Let us imagine new ways of being, living and doing, and also let it reawaken the magic that lies within us and remind us of the gift of our imagination.

MY PERENNIAL FAVOURITE QUOTES: IMAGINATION

I love to collect insightful as well as interesting quotes from my readings and  observations.

In fact, when I was running The Brain Resource, from early 1992 to mid-2005, my office walls were completely spruced up with quotes, which had been specially laminated and framed up in a multitude of A2, A3 and even A4 sized prints, in addition to other visual paraphernalia.

Here are some of my perennial personal favourites on 'Imagination':

'Microsoft's only factory asset is the human imagination."

(The New York Times)

"Imagination rules the world."

(Napoleon Bonaparte)

"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus."

(Mark Twain)

"Imagination is everything. It is your preview of life's coming attractions."

(Albert Einstein)

"You have only to work up imagination to the state of vision & the thing is done."

(William Blake)

"The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless."

(Jean Jacques Rousseau)

"The man who has no imagination, has no wings."

(Muhammed Ali)

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."

(Albert Einstein)

"Logic works within boundaries. Imagination plays with boundaries."

(Source Unknown)

"Imagination is intelligence with an erection."

(Victor Hugo)

"To invent, you need a good imagination & a pile of junk."

(Thomas Edison)

"Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning."

(Gloria Steinem)

"...that ideas, which are born & developed in our imagination, are the beginning points of all fortunes."

(Napoleon Hill)

"The faster things change, the less you can use facts & the more you need imagination."

(Stan Davis)

"The greatest threat to any organisation is not the lack of ability or resources, but the failure of imagination."

(David Meier)

"The best way to look at future possibilities is to use our imagination."

(Thomas Saaty)

"The real source of wealth & capital in this new era is not material things. It is the human mind, the human spirit, the human imagination, & our faith in the future."

(Steve Forbes)

"Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire; you will what you imagine; & at last you create what you will."

(George Bernard Shaw)

"All the works of man have their origin in creative fantasy. What right have we then to depreciate imagination."

(Carl Jung)

Frankly, it's just one out of six higher order mental faculties (the other five are perception, memory, reason, will and intuition) which each and every one of us has already been naturally endowered since birth.

It's not just the gift, but our daily usage of them - consistent, determined and massive - that gives us the personal power.

VISUAL PERIPHERAL: IMAGINATION

THE 9 I's OF CREATING YOUR FUTURE

Most people spend more time planning their next vacation than they do planning the rest of their lives.

Yet one of the most powerful paths to creating the future you want is choosing it.

You achieve this by setting out long-term/medium-term/short-term goals based on a compelling personal vision.

Dilip Mukerjea has synthesised a powerful visual planning methodology, which he calls "lifescaping", to show you the entire process of committing to creating, creating a vision, constructing a plan, executing the plan, celebrating your journey, & continue creating your future.

If necessary, he will be most happy to design a one-to-one coaching program with "lifescaping" for you.

Interested readers can write to him at dilipmukerjea@gmail.com for more information about coaching fees & scheduling.

For your information, "lifescaping" synergises all the 9 I's.

For corporations, he has a more enhanced version, which he calls "Strategic Visioning with Lifescaping". It's currently available among the suite of corporate training programs from the Singapore Institute of Management. Here's the link, from which you can download a brochure as well as a registration form.

Nonetheless, Dilip also welcomes requests for any on-site or off-site custom-engineering to suit clients' particular requirements.

A PICTURE SPEAKS A THOUSAND WORDS: Today, Imagination is Reality

[All digital images in this post are the intellectual property of Dilip Mukerjea.

Dilip is available for contract to design & craft digital images to suit your particular project or specific purpose. Please write to him at dilipmukerjea@gmail.com]

BOOK REVIEW: 'THE IMAGINATION CHALLENGE', By Alexander Manu

[Extracted & adapted from the 'Optimum Performance Technologies' weblog.]

I am always fascinated by the power of imagination.

With imagination, my mind becomes my playground. Coupling with fantasy, it becomes my amusement park.

Naturally, I love to read books about enhancing imagination.

On that note, several old classic books come quickly to mind:

- 'Applied Imagination', by Alex Osborn, the advertising guy who coined "brainstorming";

- 'Imagineering: How to Profit from Your Creative Powers', by Michael Lebouef (I love his premise: "You let your imagination to soar & then you engineer it down to earth.");

During my corporate days, I had even read 'Corporate Imagination Plus' by James Bandrowski, who asserted the importance of imagination in strategic planning.

A few months ago, I have read 'Turn Your Imagination into Money', which is actually a reprint of an old classic.

I reckon the most memorable personal experience in appreciating the power of imagination is my first visit to the Disneyland World Resort in Anaheim, California, during the eighties, to experience the imagineering masterpieces of the legendary Walt Disney.

The joyful encounter was followed by further visits to The Tokyo Disneyland in Japan & the Walt Disney World Resort (+ the EPCOT Centre) in Orlando, Florida. In fact, I had revisited the latter after a time gap of ten years in 2000.

Following a stumble-upon on the net, I have acquired & read 'The Imagination Challenge: Strategic Foresight & Innovation in the Global Economy', by Alexander Manu, a strategic innovation practitioner.

After perusal, I must say this book definitely ranks in a totally different league, when compared to all the stuff I have already read earlier.

It's almost a scholarly exposition, although I detect that there is a very playful streak in the writing, which is clear & succinct.

The first thing I got out of the book is the lucid distinction between 'imagination' & 'creativity' since most of us, including myself, tend to lump them together.

Also, I get a better understanding of the apparently subtle difference between 'strategic innovation' & 'tactical innovation'.

From the way I read it, the book is specifically written from a human user-centred design perspective. This has to do with the author's original design background.

Also, much of the material in the book is drawn from the author's professional experiences, while serving as Research Director in the Beal Institute for Strategic Creativity.

[Currently, I understand he is the Chief Imaginator with InnoSpa Consulting of Finland.]

I certainly appreciate the author's many key premises at the onset of the book's beginning chapters:

- creative & innovative thinking creates (or recreates) value in a product or service, but it is the power of our imagination that provides the quantum leap in our thinking as well as experimentation to help build & enhance the ultimate user experiences with our products & services;

- it's the ability to imagine without limits, & asking 'what if...?' questions incessantly that will allow us to create innovative products & services;

- to trigger imagination, we need to become real kids again, as serious play (to kids, play is never a task, in fact to them, play = work) is a powerful means to unlocking our creative & innovative potential;

- it's our imagination that give life & meaning to technology;

- the best approach to designing wonderful customer experiences is through the eyes of a kid, be curious about the world, about everything, experiment, reason everything before drawing up conclusions, don't jump on forms but rather define what the forms must do & how they interact with users before deciding how they look;

- in the words of the authors, strategic innovation requires an understanding of the underlying behaviours, desires & motivations of the ultimate design solution;

- interestingly, more questions will come from the play instinct, as play is exploring, searching, seeing things in a new light, communicating, interacting, & more importantly, be-ing what we are from day one - born with creative impulses;

- as organisations, we need to create an ecology of possibility or play space, so to speak, to allow our people to explore the possible & to come up with breakthrough solutions, & more importantly, to be play-wise & play-ready;

- hands do not initiate play; the mind must do it first, so I reckon what keeps our mind agile is how we use & stimulate it; The book is packed with inspiring stories & illustrative anecdotes.

What I like most is the author's complete set of 8 flexible steps that can serve as a framework for investigating viable opportunities, culminating into what the author has designated as 'The Strategic Imagination Circle' (Chapter 11):

1) signal discovery;
2) emerging signals mapping;
3) imaginative questions;
4) points of departure;
5) future scenarios;
6) experience opportunity definition;
7) economic opportunity modeling;
8) post-signal learning;

At first glance, it seems complicated. It has taken me quite a while to understand & digest how it works.

I can sense, to some extent, some of the stuff here, at least:

- in terms of "just playing around leads to great discoveries", correlates to Michael Schrage's 'Serious Play: How the World's Best Companies Simulate to Innovate', although the latter has a primary focus on prototyping;

- in terms of "reading signals", correlates to the work of George Day & Paul Schoemaker, who wrote 'Peripheral Vision: Detecting the Weak Signals that Would Make or Break Your Company', with the principal premise: how good are you in sensing, interpreting & acting on the signals?

[Please read my review in an earlier post.]

The adverse comments I am going to make here are, as follows: The suggested tools to be used at each stage of the 'Strategic Imagination Circle' are seemingly lacking adequate elaboration or amplification on the part of the author. Also, for me, I have this feeling that the link to strategic foresight has not been well addressed by the author.

Notwithstanding the above comments, I dare to say that this book is still worthwhile to be pursued. It's not just about the power of imagination & the wonder of play.

It's also about insight restructuring & opportunity finding.

By the way, readers can access sample chapters of the book at this link.