The Power of the Creative Mind...

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The Power of the Creative Mind...

Black Belt Leadership
The Power of the Creative Mind...
    John L. Terry, III - The Black Belt Leader

I was asked this week if I could have dinner with a historical person, who would I choose, and why. After a few minutes of contemplation, I choose Leonardo Da Vinci. My why? To learn from a man who embodies what it means to engage the power of the creative mind.

Born in 1452, Leonardo Da Vinci is widely regarded as one of the most brilliant minds in all of human history. He not only impacted the arts but enjoyed major accomplishments in the fields of math and science. The Mona Lisa and Last Supper are arguably two of the most recognized painting in the world. Da Vinci was truly a Rennaissance Man in every sense of the word.

His greatest attribute? The power of a creative mind.

Da Vinci conducted the most detailed study of animal and human anatomy prior to the 20th Century. He conceptualized the use of solar power, designed a tank more than 400 years before it became a reality, designed a rudimentary robot, and developed prototype diving suits. he also envisioned futuristic devices including the parachute, hang glider, helicopter and the world's first self-propelled machine.

His greatest attribute? The power of a creative mind.

Every THING on the earth began as a thought. The chair you sit in, the light fixture that illuminates your office, the carpet on your floor, the smartphone you're using to read this article, the car you drive to work, the book you read, the clothes you wear, the debit card you use to buy your lunch, the tissue you use to blow your nose. It all began as a thought.

Here's what we know from neuroscience. The creative mind resides deep within your subconscious. It is powerful. It is limitless. The creative mind knows no boundaries or restrictions. Its sole purpose is to create the thoughts that, when acted upon, become your reality. The creative mind literally CREATES our future. Why?

Every action begins with a thought. As you think, you become.

The problem comes when we allow limiting beliefs to creep into our conscious mind that short-circuits the creative mind's ability to create a new and better future. Our conscious mind lacks the subconscious mind's ability to think without limits. Unchecked, it can actually place limiters on the subconscious mind's ability to engage in creative thinking. Limited beliefs, unless challenged, lead to "status quo" thinking.

And if you can't change your thinking for the better, you're destined to experience the same "average" outcome over and over again.

You can't case an 8-cylinder engine into a single block. If man were meant to fly, he'd have been born with wings. We'll never put a man on the moon. Living in outer space, that's science fiction. Man will never harness the power of electricity. What do you mean I can transmit a written letter over a phone line and it will be duplicated on the other side of the world? No one will ever rid the world of polio. A computer you can put in your pocket or wear on your wrist? It will never happen.

Where would we be as a society if the creative power of the mind had been stifled by the limiting beliefs of others? No cars, airplanes, space travel, space stations, fax machines, Internet, email, smartphones, or smartwatches. Yet, like Leonardo Da Vinci, a small group of men and women were willing to release the power of the creative mind and birth something into existence that never existed before.

Every action begins with a thought. As you think, you become.

I've heard it said the wealthiest place in all the world is the cemetery. Why? It is there the books that were never written, the songs left unsung, inventions never created, business endeavors never started, and causes never embraced are buried. Limiting beliefs stifled the creative mind's ability to think into the future and create a different outcome.

Every action begins with a thought. As you think, you become.

You are a limitless person, with untapped potential within. There are countless ideas, dreams, waiting to be released into your thinking process and birthed into life. The challenge is you've spent your early educational years being taught HOW to think and WHAT to think, and to conform to societal norms. You've been programmed by your parents, and society, to think a certain way and have been imprinted with limiting beliefs passed on to you by well-meaning people.

Creative thinking, thinking outside the box, is where true innovation can be found. It is there you'll find the books waiting to be written, songs waiting to be recorded, innovations waiting to be built, business endeavors waiting to be started, and lives waiting to be changed for the better - starting with your own.

To be truly successful, you have to release the power of creative thinking in your own mind. Say NO to the limiting beliefs in your own mind (and to the well-meaning people around you who also don't believe) and embrace the truth that the impossible can be possible. Grab hold of that "can't be done" idea that's waiting to become a reality and don't let go until it becomes tangible, real.

Thomas Edison learned how NOT to make the light bulb over a hundred times before he achieved success. Henry Ford told his engineers to stop telling him casting an 8-cylinder engine couldn't be done using a single block and not to come back until it was done. The impossible became a reality for them, and it can become one for you too...if you believe.

It's only when you release the creative power of your mind that you truly put yourself in a position to see not just success, but significance, even as you create a legacy for the future. It may require that you re-align your inner circle of friends and influencers to be around those who are not content to live life "status quo".

To release the creative power of your mind may require that you hire a coach or mentor who can help raise the quality and the level of thinking, allowing you to see what was previously invisible. You don't know what you don't know until you discover what you don't know.

And when you begin to discover what you don't know, your thinking begins to change. You begin to see things in a different way. Possibilities reveal themselves that were previously there, but unseen. Impossibilities suddenly come into the realm of possibility.

It's then that you begin to truly become better at what you do because you're becoming better at who you are, The power of creative thinking is not just a game-changer, it's a life-changer. Dare to dream big, because you can't go to the moon if you don't even believe you can fly.

Leonardo Da Vinci revolutionized the world around him because he released the creative power of his mind. He dared to ask "Why?" and "What If?" and to challenge the status quo. Other great inventors and thinkers have done the same.

The creative mind resides deep within your subconscious. It is powerful. It is limitless. The creative mind knows no boundaries or restrictions. Its sole purpose is to create the thoughts that, when acted upon, become your reality. The creative mind literally CREATES our future. Why?

Every action begins with a thought. As you think, you become.

So, what are you willing to think?

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2X martial arts Hall of Fame inductee, John Terry (The Black Belt Leader) is passionate about helping others become Black Belt Leaders in Life. He is a motivational speaker, leadership, sales & communication coach and trainer.   

Jessie Terry, John's daughter, is a Certified Speaker, Coach, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team and is actively involved in the JMT Global Youth Initiative. She is also a Real-Life Management trained coach.

For more information, schedule John (or Jessie) to speak to your organization or to book a personal, group or corporate coaching session, visit www.beablackbeltleader.com.  

If you are a faith-based organization, learn more about John and Jessie's outreach to churches, para-church organizations or faith-based volunteer groups by visiting www.DunamisFactor.com.

John is an Executive Director with the John Maxwell Team and is passionate about helping others pursue excellence as they become "Leaders in Life". He is also a Master Coach & Trainer with Real Life Management, a human behavioral training organization helping people learn how to live "Real Life" and make better choices when it comes to relationships, money, health, and wellness. John is also a certified DISC Human Behavior Consultant.


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