“Every man-made creation starts with seeds of thought. The idea is then germinated with action to form its physical equivalent.”
Dennis Kimbro
For the first time this fall I had the pleasure of lecturing at a College Success Seminar. It’s been a blast to not only give back but also recall the time in my life when the learning training wheels were ripped off. The indecision and hesitancy mixed with anticipation and the joy of freedom to discover. One of the most interesting conversations revolved around learning to learn.
How does this relate back to innovation? Both take place between our ears. Our best weapon is how we think. Whether looking at business model innovation, customer engagement improvements, or how to flip a disruptive technology into an asset we first have to combat the implanted messages of naysayers. Attack this uncertainty with a can do mindset.
I went diggin’ into the crate and pull the article below that I originally penned in late 2001. Even though innovation at the time wasn’t my focus its something that we best not forget. For, just like today times we mentally tough, albeit for a totally different reason, and everyone including businesses were reevaluating what they believed to be true.
Some of you may be saying, “What does positive outlook have to do with running a better business?” Well it has everything to do with it. As Dennis Kimbro so eloquently states in his book Think & Grow Rich: A Black Choice, every lasting monument to man’s progress has been built on a solid foundation. And in business, a positive outlook is the glue that solidifies the critical building blocks – vision, mission, and sense of purpose – of your foundation.
Your mind is a “thought factory”. It’s constantly at work, dissecting thoughts and turning them into reality. To see how this works for you, take this simple test: Tomorrow when you wake up tell yourself, “Today is a wonderful day.” Do this with attitude and faith. Repeat this phrase periodically during the day. The vocalization of these simple words signals your positive memories to kick into gear. Soon you will have convinced yourself that it is a reality. You’ll find yourself saying, “This is a wonderful day. The weather is great. Business is good today.” And right before you unfolds a good and productive day.
Don’t limit this powerful tool to just making yourself feel good about today. Motivational coach David J. Schwartz author of The Magic of Thinking Big advises that any time a thought enters your mind, ask your positive self to go to work for you. Use it to find the good in what appears to be a bad event, have it solve a pressing problem. If you consistently apply this principle it will eventually become instinctive, and virtually all your thoughts will not only be positive but also reveal ways you can succeed.
Here are three guidelines that can be used to acquire and strengthen the power of belief:
1. Think success, not failure. Believing that it can be done when evidence suggest otherwise is the core of creative thinking. Be open and receptive to new ideas and ways of solving problems.
2. Remind yourself regularly that you are better than you think you are. There is nothing mystical about success. Successful people, as well as businesses, share the same basic traits such as going the extra mile, having a definiteness of purpose, and a culture that inspires creative vision.
3. The size of your success is determined by the size of your dream. Dream big, for big goals often require the same amount of personal effort as small objectives.
Remember, nurture and enjoy your dreams – they’re too precious to abandon and too important to compromise.