Imagination

Brainpower Newsletter

Do you ever just relax and daydream? That's a good start towards a more creative imagination. To be able to actively imagine things, to see and hear things in one's mind, is an important ability. However, it doesn't have to involve much creativity, does it? It can consist of an elaborate fantasy world, but one full of all the things that many people think about.

Creative imagination, then, has to include the ability not just to imagine things, but to imagine original things. It is seeing things that others don't see, and coming up with new ideas. So how do you cultivate this?

Creative Imagination 101

First, exercise your basic imagination. It can be as simple as thinking in pictures more, or listening to music in your mind. Play little "movies" in your mind, until you can watch them on command. This is a simple process, but for those of us that can't easily do it naturally, it can take a lot of practice. Fortunately, it is not an unpleasant activity.

The second part of developing your creative imagination is to consciously get more creative in your thinking and imagining. Start by paying attention to your creativity. Our subconscious minds give us more of what we pay attention to. Ignore creative aspects of your life, and you're telling your subconscious they are unimportant. On the other hand, if you note when you're creative, your subconscious mind will start feeding you more creative ideas.

Different surroundings can also encourage your creativity. Want more creativity in your love life? Hike up a mountain with your partner. Do you write? Try sitting on a roof to write. Want new ideas for your business? Take a notebook to the park and sit by the duck pond. A change of environment can get your thinking out of it's ruts.

You can also play games that exercise your creative imagination. One such game uses a technique called "concept combination." Alone or with other players, you combine random concepts or things in new ways, to see who has the best idea. A thermometer and a billboard, for example, could generate an idea for a sign that checks the weather and adjusts the message accordingly ("Come in out of the heat for a cold beverage," or "Come in out of the rain and warm up with our gourmet coffee.").

Two Steps To Creative Imagination

1. Exercise your imagination

2. Use creative idea generating techniques.

I will have more to say on creativity in the next newsletter. I exercise my own creative imagination on my web site,
http://www.999ideas.com

Four More Brainpower Boosters

1. Let others teach you. Often you have a choice between showing how smart you are or listening to what others have to say. Listen, and ask questions instead of spouting what you know. You are almost certain to learn more in this way.

2. Get up and walk outside. When writing or working at the computer for a long time, it can really help to get outside for just a minute and breath deeply. The movement gets the blood going, the breathing gets more oxygen into your system, and the change sometimes stimulates more creative thought. I find this to be even more helpful when the air outside is cool or cold.

3. Learn a language. It's good brain exercise. There are other benefits as well, including the general improvement in memory that many people experience from studying a language. It has also been demonstrated that you can halt the age-related decline in mental function when you learn a new language.

4. Cut out the sugar. There are many long-term health problems related to sugar consumption, but the immediate effect of too much sugar is to cause a blood sugar imbalance that will leave your head in a fog. Test this if you must. Just do math problems fifteen minutes after eating a piece of cake on an empty stomach. You'll get the point.

Here's a short brain teaser for you:

Name five days of the week without saying: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.

The answer is below, and if you want more, you can go to the riddles and puzzles page here:
http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com/riddles-and-puzzles.html

Until next time,

Answer: Today, yesterday, the day before yesterday, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow.

P.S. Here's that link to the brain wave entrainment CDs again (affiliate link): The Meditation Program

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