TOMMY'S TOOLBOX: Just their imaginations.... running away with them

It was a stick, a plain old ordinary stick. But in the hands of a 6-year-old boy, oh, it was so much more! It was a beautiful summer day a year ago. I was looking out my window and witnessed the show of my life. Down the block was my neighbor’s son. I watched as he bent down, picked up a stick and started his heroic battle. He held the stick with both hands…swish, swish. He was in the sword fight of his life.

At that moment, he wasn’t my pint-sized neighbor. He was Captain Jack Sparrow, defending his home from the evil pirates surrounding him.

It made me wonder: “As adults, why do we stop using our imagination?” After all, Napoleon Hill calls it “the workshop of our mind.”

I think the answer is simple: We become afraid -- afraid of what people would think of us. I mean, how would we look fighting dragons with a stick?

Looking back through history, where would we be if people were afraid to use their imaginations?

Think about what Alexander Bain went through, spending his life inventing the fax machine. Just imagine what it was like for him describing his dream to his family and friends.

“Yep. You heard me right. You put a piece of paper in this slot right here in New Jersey and, within seconds, someone gets the same paper in California!”

You think anyone said: “Great idea, Alexander!”?

Imagine being buddies with Orville and Wilbur Wright.

“Hey guys…my brother and I are going to attach wings to a bicycle and pedal as hard as we can…I mean really peddle hard…and we are going to fly…yep that’s right…pedal real hard and fly like a bird.”

I’ll bet the next day you could hear it all around town: “There‘s Orville and Wilbur. Those boys think they‘re gonna fly!”

When we use or imaginations, we tap into our intellectual faculties. We can play any movie we want right there on the screen of our minds.

One of my favorite stories came from my buddy, Tony Lacertosa, a high school science teacher. He tells the story of a student named Johnny Krieger, a kid who always seemed distracted and could never really pay attention.

Every time Tony would glance over toward Johnny, he would be staring out the window into the sky. So, of course, Johnny was always being reprimanded.

Tony even remembers hollering: “Johnny, you’ve gotta stop looking out that window.”

Two minutes later, same thing: “Johnny, stop looking out that window.

“OK, I’ve had enough. I would like your parents to meet with me after school.”

Johnny kept staring out the window, never paying attention.

Why, Johnny?

“I don’t know. I just can’t help it. I love looking out into the sky and dreaming.”

That sky-staring dreamer turned out to be Capt. Johnny Krieger, pilot, US Air Force.

Can you imagine that?

For 20 years, Tommy Hilcken has motivated people, from blue-collar families to celebrities & pro athletes. As a Life Success Consultant and award-winning speaker, he helps others break through their fears and challenges, move away from what's holding them back, and go for what they really want. You can reach him at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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