WHO'D A THOUGHT

When asked how he discovered the law of gravity, Sir Isaac Newton casually replied, "By thinking about it all the time."

Now I may be steppin out on a bit of a limb here but I'd bet that Newton's rather uninspiring reply could also easily have been that of Einstein if asked how he discovered his theory of relativity. Or that of Darwin when questioned about the theory of evolution. Be it the case or not, my point is that whatever it is that you'd like to someday achieve or accomplish, whatever you're interests or ambitions might be, it's important that you think about em, and think about em often.

Here at Ingzig we talk a lot about effort, a term that generally implies some sort of physical task or toil. But I'm here to tell ya that Everyday Earnest Effort is every bit as much about mental prowess as it is about physical fortitude.

French novelist and poet Antoine de Saint-Exupery once said, "You give birth to that on which you fix your mind," and I for one most definitely agree. However, I'd also like to point out that although I'm not against it, when it comes to personal "achievement," I personally don't place too much merit on practices such as creative visualization, a mental technique that uses one's imagination to allegedly "attract" high levels of success and prosperity. Why? Well, because I for one have blissfully envisioned Ingzig being a well established company for years now. I've seen the sandstone colored building that boastfully bears our name. I've worked alongside like-minded people who enthusiastically share our ideals and have hung out with the good folks who help support our efforts by proudly wearin our wares. Trust me, I have many times over been to the events and expos where our logo is poised within arms reach of the big boys and have repeatedly watched our Keeep It Up motto zoom past me on the 405 fwy. These colorful images are as clear as a bell, and in no way am I embarrassed or ashamed to tell ya that I hold each one of em very dear to my heart. But the bottom line is, they're just images.

The same could be said about drummin. In the sense that I can visualize or imagine myself layin down a sick solo all I want. But if fundamentally I suck, it just ain't gonna happen. The way I see it, perceiving it is one thing. Achieving it, is another.

"Well now wait a minute Pat, it sounds to me like you're contradicting yourself." No, I'm simply sayin that it takes a bit o' both, insight, as well as, execution. For instance, I think about these posts each and everyday, literally, without exception. I carry a digital recorder with me at all times so when somethin good does pop into the ol noggin I can get it down on tape pronto. But I also take the time to put it all down on paper, where I then painstakingly edit, organize, write, and rewrite. And when that's done, I start the entire process over again until I eventually come up with somethin that I feel is actually worthy of print. I wish I could tell ya it's all purely the result of one full-blown moment of spontaneous inspiration but it's not.

"In his personal diaries there is an oft-cited passage in which Mozart reports that an entire symphony appeared, supposedly intact, in his head. Yet no one ever seems to quote the next paragraph where he talks about how he refined the work for months," notes Jonathan Plucker, an educational psychologist at Indiana University.

"We all have our ah-ha moments, but as a rule, breakthroughs tend to take years of hard work," proclaims R. Keith Sawyer, author of Explaining Creativity. "[They] happen not in one brilliant flash, but in a chain reaction of many tiny sparks. Despite romantic myth, ideas don't magically appear in a genius' head out of nowhere, they build on what came before."

"That's *&^%# fascinating Pat, unfortunately I'm not your average genius." Fair enough, "average Joe," who by the way just so happens to average about 3000 thoughts per day. That's right. Studies show that we humans, regardless of IQ or creative flair, have approximately 3000 thoughts a day, or somewhere around 125 an hour. So...given that mind-boggling statistic ya might just wanna ask yourself, "What the hell am I thinkin?"

James Allen, author of As A Man Thinketh said, "A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances." Face it, everyday you and I have the opportunity to shape and reshape our lives with our thoughts. Not so much with good or happy thoughts mind you, but with deep and deliberate thoughts, attentive thoughts; thoughts that...well, just might make ya stop and think. See ya next time. Till then, keeep it up.