You’ve heard it said; whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve.

The 5th Principle towards Riches: Imagination

Imagination: The Workshop of the Mind

Mr. Hill separates imagination into two conceptual types: synthetic imagination, which simply rearranges existing ideas into new concepts and creative imagination, which creates something from nothing. Transforming desire into money requires specific plans, which come most often through synthetic imagination. The author scoffs at the idea that riches come from hard work, but truly lazy men, unwilling to put in sustained effort, do not grow rich! More often, he contends, riches of great quantity have come “in response to definite demands, based upon the application of definite principles… when a creator of ideas and a seller of ideas got together and worked in harmony”. The ideas that come from imagination are the forces that cause things to come into being. You must add imagination to your plans and your specialised knowledge in order to grow rich.

So what can you do?

• Set aside creative thinking time
• Focus on the missing pieces of your plan
• Use your imagination to see what could be; what is possible

Imagination is instrumental in creating plans for success. It’s where desire is given form and the necessary action is formulated. From here, Thoughts Become Things, Hill explains that imagination is what has led to man’s greatest feats such as flying.

Hill describes two forms of imagination: synthetic imagination and creative imagination. Synthetic imagination involves arranging concepts, ideas or plans into new forms. Creative imagination connects with Infinite Intelligence and materialises in the form of hunches or inspiration. Desire, faith and auto-suggestion all play a part in connecting with the Infinite Intelligence and creative imagination.

The key point is: Wealth comes from ideas and ideas come from imagination.

Hill gives one example of how creative imagination spawned a multi-billion pound business fortune in the story of an old kettle: A doctor approached a pharmacy clerk hoping to sell an old kettle, a wooden spoon and a recipe. The clerk purchased the items for $500. Hill reports that more than buying an old kettle, the clerk bought an idea. The clerk mixed the recipe, added Imagination, and created Coca-Cola. Hill writes that Coca-Cola’s “... empire of wealth and influence grew out of a single IDEA”. You know the story of Facebook, Google, and YouTube, don’t you? These are all brands that came from IMAGINATION. Now it’s your turn. Hard work alone will not make you rich. It’s time to be like a child, and imagine, imagine, imagine…

Often all it takes to succeed is a little imagination and a lot of application. Without imagination dreams are stillborn.