The last couple of days I have been sharing information on listening and then protecting one’s “still small voice.” Today, I want to share the concept of allowing the imagination it’s due.

I don’t have much of an imagination you may be inclined to say. I say differently. NO!

We all are gifted at birth with phenomenal imaginations!

That might not be the exact quote by my late mentor Bob Proctor, but it’s pretty darn close if not.

Bob was vying for a monopoly for the word “phenomenal” and he most definitely thought that we all have great imaginations which were God given at birth.

We continue to have and use these great imaginations as children until perhaps first or second grade when we are all starting to buckle in as students. That is extremely unfortunate!

Why would society want to engage in this sort of “mind castration?”

Quite simply, society through the agricultural, industrial, and to a lesser extent the informational revolutions requires most workers to be focused on limited, mind numbing (albeit focused) repetitive tasks.

Now, perhaps not surprisingly, that was not the original intent. The modern school system was conceptually conceived and initially given form by Prussian Wilhelm von Humboldt.[1]

‘Willy’ originally had the idea that not only the elite, but everyone should have the opportunity to develop their minds to their full potential … which is as Bob would describe it … “A Phenomenal Idea!”

But, somewhere along the way his idea was co-opted so as to generate the mindless masses necessary to do all that tedium just described.

Because after all, what is it that we generally learn when we study? Beyond the “3R” fundamentals of Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, most of schooling involves memory work.

As an aside, this reminds me of a story from Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” in which Plaintiff Henry Ford in a slander trial against a newspaper which had published that Ford was uneducated was being asked under oath to answer a series of “basic educational” questions to see if he was able to regurgitate information which is taught in school. After a series of witty comebacks to a few of the inane questions, Ford indicated that if he needed any of that information he could call upon any number of people to provide it to him and then came in with a question that amounted to a linguistic kill shot … ‘So, why would I waste my time cluttering my mind with all this useful information?’

Why indeed! And now with the internet, we all have access to well beyond basic information.

This then is why there is such an incredible need for imagination.

Oh right, you my dear reader said earlier that you don’t have an imagination.

Au contraire mon frère (et ma soeur), you have a “phenomenal imagination!”

The only problem is that you haven’t exercised it in quite some time, but that can and should change.

Now, with respect to “My Renovo Adventure,” I started to imagine how I could actually go about selling these bikes.

Interestingly enough, as I was imagining it – a process which seems to me to be tapping into my “still small voice” and letting it soar, I somehow got to thinking again about the fact that it was Chase Bank – a huge multi-national, which was effectively promoting micro-bike manufacturers.

This then made me think of all the changes that are happening around Seattle to create bike lanes everywhere creating what I call: “Road Construction Rodeos.”

And somehow, the two of these ideas “had sex” and I started to realize that bike – not automobile use – is definitely consistent with the Green Peace agenda of the “Davos crowd.”[2]

And this then lead me to what only now seems to be the epiphany that I should seek to promote these bikes in Jackson Hole, Wyoming!

What? How did Jackson Hole pop to the “screen of my mind?” It’s because somewhere along the way, I remember hearing that the Federal Reserve meets there each year.[3]

In fact, in my journal in an entry dated 2023.12.10 – 6:50 AM, it states:

I can go to Jackson Hole this winter and seek to market the bike … or at least get ready to market the bike by becoming a local and learning the town.

Looking back on that entry now. I am absolutely floored because my dear reader, as I unwind this tale further, you will find out that while I didn’t abandon my family to live in the environs of Jackson, WY that winter, by the end of the Summer I was in Jackson Hole, at the Western Design Show promoting a spectacular Renovo Bike!

Why? Because I wanted to, I didn’t allow my dream to be killed by others, and I fanned the flame of my ignited desire through the use of my imagination … and you can too!

Ok, today I am off to the Renovo shop where the owner is going to help me to complete my first Renovo Bike build.

I’ll be back tomorrow to distill some more wisdom about this incredible journey. Have a great day!

Cheers! BZ/JUSTICE SMILES, pllc

Photo Credit: Alaska Airlines … which will be our carrier back from our upcoming road trip through the Mountain West to Santa Fe, NM.

Note [1] – For more on Wilhelm von Humboldt and his educational philosophy, See [HERE].

Note [2] – AI Overview – “Davos is important because it is the site of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Annual Meeting, an exclusive gathering where global leaders from government, business, and civil society convene to discuss and collaborate on pressing economic and social issues, driving dialogue and potential partnerships to address global challenges and promote a better world. The event serves as a platform to foster public-private cooperation, initiate policy changes, and launch significant initiatives[.] Note to self: I had read Thomas Mann’s “Magic Mountain” with my book club for the January 2024 meeting.

Note [3] – For more information about the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium, See [HERE].