What’s the Bright Idea?

In honor of celebrating Life, Liberty, and Creativity, this post is part 1 (of 2); a 2008 copyrighted extraction from the “What’s the Bright Idea?” chapter in MaryAnn D’Ambrosio’s Doctoral dissertation entitled,  “Beyond the American Dream . . . Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Creatively Inspired Life.” Author’s note:  This is the first time I’m putting my Ph.D. work on the web.  Enjoy!

[Have you ever wondered what motivates people?  At first blush, you might say “other people – of course.”  I can assure you this is untrue.  I agree with Lou Tice, Founder of the Pacific Institute when he says, “The first thing you need to do is understand and accept that you can’t motivate someone else.  You see, people don’t motivate other people.   There is only one thing that can motivate someone, and that is an idea.  A book doesn’t motivate, but the ideas in it certainly can.  Money doesn’t motivate either.  It’s the idea of what you can do with the money that is a motivating force.”  Tice (2007)   A coach doesn’t motivate an athlete; it’s the belief in the idea that there’s something within—that motivates the athlete to stretch beyond limits and to strive for more.

Have you ever observed a child, friend, or colleague’s expression upon discovering a creative “new” idea?  The face brightens — the eyes sparkle, open wider and appear to gaze upwards towards heaven.  Wow . . . creation has revealed itself!  The energy field surrounding this moment is electrifying, dynamic, and palpable.  If you could look inside the mind, you would see creative energy at work.

Inside each human being there is an unseen, but very real link to the source of all ideas. This internal link is within every human being – young and old.  The link is easily accessible and readily available to provide information and creative ideas at light speed – faster than the highest speed Internet connection.  A direct connection literary taps into the source of all creation and knowledge – past, present and future.

Upon close examination of the origin of this idea, there’s a realization and excitation that something big is taking place.  This unseen process directly links the human mind with the Divine or Universal Mind to bring into existence – inspired, creative, innovative and imaginative ideas. These ideas have the power to create a nation, to create innovation, as well as provide practical solutions to improve the quality of everyday life.

The focus of this paper is to present ideas that motivate the reader to examine the possibility of living a creatively inspired life by design.  Put another way, to consciously create a life that fulfills your destiny and is light-years beyond “The American Dream.”  It’s as if the Universe has provided each of us with a gift.  The gift card says, “You have the ability to start over – to go back to the beginning of time and re-create a spectacular life for yourself by using original energy.  Begin dreaming and creating.”

If you’re ready to begin – step outside your current belief system for a brief moment.  Picture a world where individuals get excited about a life filled with adventure, exploration, and discovery instead of worrying about health care, child care, lack of time, lackluster careers, and paying the bills.  STOP!!  Stop for a moment.  All it takes is one good creative idea to surface into your conscious mind, and you are on your way to greatly improving your life and hopefully the lives of others. ]

Part 2 of “What’s the Bright Idea?” is now available.  Check out the “Top 3 Things I’ve Learned and Deliberately Apply to the Everyday” section at the end of part 2.