By Wes Bleed
Thoughts are dollars. Dreams are bricks of gold. That is, if you convert them into cash.I'm struck by Paul McCormick's observation on what he calls the great paradox of wealth creation: "The more you love and chase money it eludes you. Learn to cherish what is truly important and the money will come to you." (Secrets of the Millionaire Inside)
A Journal is one way of making that happen. I'm a journalist at heart, but that's not what I'm talking about. I mean a journal one uses to record thoughts, ideas and observations that will, if turned into action, create wealth.
Just as a reporter keeps his notebook and pen handy to record the newsmaker's comments, keep your journal at the ready for interesting ideas that spring to mind during the day. Keep it with you virtually at all times. You never know when the next idea will strike, even in the middle of the night.
I once had to MC a large banquet, but was struggling for what I would say to make the event interesting and memorable for the audience. A few nights before the dinner, I awoke with the thought of a funny line I could use. I got out of bed and grabbed a piece of paper and wrote it down. As I did, two or three other ideas came to mind and I wrote those down, too. The next day, I developed my overnight inspiration into what turned out to be a very successful presentation.
When you see an interesting quotation (like Paul's) jot it down. Date it. Make sure you include your own take, your own response. Maybe you don't agree, and that's worth noting, too.
Quite often, thoughts on paper begin to take on a life of their own. One observation leads to another. And here's the fun part: you can return to the entries weeks or months later and pick up where you left off, possibly with a whole new set of observations.
When you seize an idea, that idea begins to seize you and becomes content for your next journal entry. You may have multiple entries about the same topic or idea. Each one massages the idea into something a litte more refined, a little more. . .profitable.
So, each of has our own gold mine. Frankly, it's a gold "mind." Learn to live your live on paper, giving your thoughts a landing strip that eventually turns into a launch pad for your success.
Wes Bleed is a journalist, Internet media specialist and business speaker on Leadership, Communication and Personal Growth. For a free audio version of this article or to book Wes or to sign up for his free newsletter "Sound Thinking" go to http://www.wesbleed.com Contact us at info@wesbleed.com.
