There is nothing quite like the power of imagination and belief. Albert Einstein knew it, Andrew Carnegie knew it, the Wright Brothers knew it, and millions of others throughout history have created machines, theories, and entire industries through the power of their own thought.
It's where everything begins, a little spark of light in your mind. The key then is to have the faith in that thought, and in yourself to let it grow. Without influence from others, who may try and talk you out of it - imagine your thought complete, and believe it is already real. This is how the greatest minds in history came to give us such things as the radio, the telephone, the power of flight, industries, and theories of space & time - they had faith in themselves. They knew these things were possible and would stop at nothing until their dream came to fruition.
The imagination in children is so pure and innocent, to be nurtured and encouraged. It is a beautiful thing to watch them grow, and so important to let them take their dreams with them. It is too easy to allow society to squash dreams before they have even had a chance to root. My purpose in writing is to gently remind children of their imagination and encourage their self-confidence in their own abilities.
A poem that has stuck with me my entire life and comes to mind now, is the wonderful words of Edgar Albert Guest in It Couldn't Be Done:
Somebody said that it couldn’t be done But he with a chuckle replied That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried. So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin On his face. If he worried he hid it. He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn’t be done, and he did it! Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that; At least no one ever has done it;” But he took off his coat and he took off his hat And the first thing we knew he’d begun it. With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin, Without any doubting or quiddit, He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn’t be done, and he did it. There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done, There are thousands to prophesy failure, There are thousands to point out to you one by one, The dangers that wait to assail you. But just buckle in with a bit of a grin, Just take off your coat and go to it; Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.
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