Skip to main content

Open the Box

In this episode - Open the Box. . .


When you receive a gift that’s beautifully boxed what’s your first impulse. My guess is you would enthusiastically open the box.

Let me ask you this, what if, in a flash of insight, you realized that you’ve had in your possession the most precious gift on earth yet you’ve never taken the time to open the box?

I’m referring to the power of your creative imagination.

Earl Nightingale summarized it best, “We become what we think about, but the thinking is up to us.”

Let’s examine our daily thoughts, what do you think about? Are your thoughts dependent on your reaction to situations and others? If so that special gift we’re talking about is not being used at all. And if we’re not careful our imagination can lead us into confusing complications. So let’s strive for simplicity. 

It's been said the brain has four powers, think of them as switches you can turn on and off.  

Switch number:
  1. The power to absorb information and knowledge.
  2. The power of retention.
  3. The power of making judgments.
  4. The power to think creatively.

Children use this fourth switch all the time. They do it by simply asking questions. No admonition or holding back. Just wholesome to the point questions.

Granted people are swayed every day by the media, friends, and neighbors to think negative, self-destructive thoughts. But you can change that.

First, you must recognize that creative ideas can come from anyone at any time.
  • Keep an idea file. Ideas in the early stages need to be nurtured, record your ideas.
  • Ideas need encouragement. Treat your ideas with care. Encourage creative thinking in yourself and others.
  • Creative thinking is like mining for Diamonds in the richest soil you’ll get mostly small ones but if you stay with it you’ll find that big one your looking for too.
So what are you waiting for - turn on switch number four.

How you ask?

Spend 30 minutes a day digging in that gold mine between your ears. At first, those thoughts may be off the wall, absurd thoughts. That’s okay. Capture them.

I’m betting there’s a smartphone in your pocket. A powerful tool to record audio, video, or written text of your brilliant ideas. Ok, I get it, maybe your thoughts are not so brilliant but if you work at it every day for just 30 minutes you will be amazed at what you come up with.

Start with a goal that you want desperately to achieve. By mining those thoughts you will achieve that goal.

It was Ralph Waldo Emerson that said, “The mind, once  stretched by a new idea never returns to its original dimensions.”

So live a little, open the box. Unleash the power of your creative imagination. Why not?

This is Patrick Ball, thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.

Comments

Unknown said…
Thanks Patrick... your message is Silid.. own your thoughts .. don’t let others hijack them..

Most Popular of All Time

Believing Is Seeing

🎄 In this episode, Believing Is Seeing . . . It's December, we bustle, we wrap, and we dash. We sort life into boxes— myths  here,  to-dos  in a stash. We whisper of Santa (adult code: “Not Real”), but hold on one minute—let’s rethink this whole deal. For the stories we cherish, the movies we stream, hold more truth in their sparkle than we grown-ups may deem. So hop in this sleigh and hold on real tight— We’re chasing down Santa by the glow of his light! Scott Calvin once landed in the North Pole’s cold air, with elves, cocoa, and snow everywhere. He squinted and frowned—“This just  cannot  be so!” (Like thinking tangled lights will detangle if we  blow .) Then Judy the Elf gave a cocoa so steaming,  and said something simple . . . yet surprisingly gleaming: Seeing’s not believing—no, that’s not the key. "Believing is seeing!"   Just trust, and  you’ll  see!” Kids don’t need a map or a satellite screen to know Santa’s workshop is her...

Night Before Christmas

I n this episode, Night Before Christmas . . .  (In the spirit of Edgar Albert Guest) I’ve wrestled with the tangled lights the way I always do— With just enough patience left to see the project through. I climb the ladder carefully; the years have taught me how. To take my time with every step and keep a steady brow. We hang the faded ornaments I’ve known since I was small, the chipped, the cracked, the tilted ones—I love them best of all. Santa’s lost a bit of paint, the stars’ leaning right, but oh, it casts a holy glow across the room tonight. The kitchen hums with activity, with laughter, and with cheer, as voices drift like echoes from a long-forgotten year. The floor is strewn with paper scraps, the clock is ticking slow, As Christmas finds its own sweet pace and sets our house aglow. The hallway grows a little still; the lights are dimmed, and low, Small shoes are lined in messy pairs to wait for morning’s snow. The fire's warm, the room is full, the world is deep and wide,...

Stamps and Snow

In this episode, Stamps and Snow . . .   You don’t usually walk into the local Post Office expecting a time warp . . . but here we are. All we wanted were stamps for this year's Christmas cards— yes, the old-fashioned paper ones that require licking, sticking, and hoping the Postal Service is feeling ambitious this week. But holiday errands have a talent for slowing you down, almost like the universe whispering, “Relax. You’re not getting out of this line any faster anyway.” So we waited. And while we waited, we talked (Are you surprised?). Because the Post Office is one of the few places where people still look up from their phones long enough to talk . . . Maybe it's because they're holding packages. It’s the modern town square: part civic duty, part free entertainment, part sociology experiment. The discussion began with holiday specials streaming on Netflix, Paramount+, and other services during this time of year. One gentleman who has lived in Vista since 1958 told us,...

Un-Work the Old-Fashioned Way

🎩   In this special episode. How to Un-Work the Old-Fashioned Way It’s 2026! Yes— this is the year! A different kind of start—you feel it right here? No lists! No demands! No fix-all-your-flaws! No “New You by Tuesday!” No rules! No laws! Those resolutions? Bah! Dusty and dry! We’ve tried fixing everything —so let’s ask why. Why rush and correct and improve and compare, When noticing quietly gets you right there ? So here’s a new project—no charts, no clocks, No boxes to check in your mental inbox. It’s bigger than busy and smaller than grand, It’s called Un-Working —now give me your hand! Un-Working’s not quitting or hiding away, It’s setting things down that shout “Hurry! Hey!” The hustle! The bustle! The faster-than-fast! The gotta-win-now or you’re stuck in the past! That’s the work of Un-Working— plop! —set it free! The titles! The labels! The “Look-At-Me!” The crown that kept sliding and pinching your head— You never looked comfy . . . let’s try this instead: Pick up a tel...