"One insight gleaned during a few minutes of meditation might save HOURS, perhaps DAYS of unnecessary work.  That's what we mean when we say, from a purely practical point of view, meditation can make more time than it takes."  Peter McWilliams

Values of thinking time include:

1.  True creativity allowed to express itself.  Wacky ideas can become GREAT ideas.

2.  Balanced life - no longer running around in reactive mode.

3.  Ability to spark our brain to THINK.  Why stop using it at graduation?

4.  Finding ideas to make life easier, or more productive.

5.  Discovering what is most important to us.

To WIN means to do WHAT is IMPORTANT NOW.   So, I like the idea of taking the ideas out of my thinking time and immediately applying ANY of them into my life planning.  Taking the thinking time and implementing ideas means to not just think, but to put ideas into action.

Without action, ideas are just ideas.  

I have a belief that any time someone receives a brilliant idea, the odds are high that five other people around the world also have the same idea.  The person who wins the Nobel Prize or receives the recognition is the person who implements, or takes action, upon their idea.

How can we take action on our ideas?

First, we must write them down.

Second, we must decide which are short-term ideas (able to manifest within a day, week, or month) and which are long-term ideas.

Third, we must use the power of 3's (see Abundance Rule of 3's).  Which three ideas can we implement, immediately, in the short term?  What ideas can be implemented long-term?  

I like the idea of developing an action plan for each idea we think MIGHT have merits.   The action plan would consist of:

    1. Mission

    2. Specific Objectives

    3. Questions Outlining Priorities

    4. Date-action-listed Steps to Success

Once we can qualify our ideas to 3's, we have the ability to focus on what matters now.  Simplifying ideas is key to implementing them, too.  Is there a way to combine ideas into one?  This might make an idea more simple.  Or, is there a way to reduce ideas to separate parts.  Either method might be a path to simplicity.  What does our intuition (hunch) tell us is the best idea to pursue, now?  Even atheist leaders acknowledge success came from listening to that voice inside.

Thinking time is critical.  If we do not allow ourselves the time to think, each day, then we're basically just going through our days in reactive mode, either using the bottom of our thinking deck or allowing others to do our thinking for us.  Taking time to think enables to operate at our optimal best.  Taking time to meditate to quiet the mind is also useful prior to thinking (see "Quiet Helps").

Fourteen ways to improve thinking or jar our thinking can include:

1.  Rearranging ideas.

2.  Dropping assumptions or challenging the rules.  Ask "Why?" or say "So what?" behind each assumption or rule and see how it feels. 

3.  Looking at problems from the opposite perspective.

4.  Looking for detectable patterns.

5.  Look for ways to simplify processes.  People pay for productivity gain.  What waste can be eliminated?

6.  What happens when the idea is exaggerated/expanded -- even to the point of ridiculousness?  This can make a difference in how ideas are implemented.

7.  Laugh at the idea.  See how ridiculous it is.  Then see what else pops into your head.  Laughter is the key to success.

8.  Ask "What if?" questions.  What if... leads to ideas.

9.  What is so obvious it is almost foolish?  Sometimes, the best ideas are right under our nose.

10.  What can we compare to?  Metaphors, things in nature, all lead to ideas.

11.  What in history, either our own or someone else's, is similar to the idea?  We can learn from our past to grow our new future.

12.  Imagine you're the idea.  Now how do you feel about it?

13.  Think like a kid.  What would a six year-old see?

14.  Check your timing.

More than anything else, have FUN with your ideas.  Ideas can be goofy, wise, or anything in between.  The key is that taking the time for thinking allows ideas to flourish.

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