Archives for June 2012

What You See is What You Get

puppyinmirror

Flip Wilson, 70’s comedian of the 70’s popularized “What You See is What You Get”  in his role as Geraldine, one of his characters. It became so popular that it allegedly inspired Palo Alto Research Center to create the acronym WYSIWYG for its text editor.

But this saying is more than words, it’s a profound spiritual principle. Everything that exists began as a thought, then a strong desire and a visualization before it was manifest. The extent to which you can see what you want in your mind’s eye before it manifests is the extent to which you can have your heart’s desire.

Children typically have no problem with this concept. Parents have seen many demonstrations of this as children pleaded and made a case for this toy or that electronic. The visualization was very strong in the child’s mind and their conversation consisted of little else but their heart’s desire. They never seem to worry about the how, just the what.

As we become adults, however, we somehow forget how this works and begin to twist it to “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Or we sabotage our plans by visualizing something we want but not convincing our subconscious that we deserve it. In willing service to us the subconscious gives us what we strongly believe.

My favorite part of this whole process is that we don’t have to know the how, just the what.

Edison did not create electricity, he discovered it. That means that it already existed, but was waiting for the person who could see it and believe in its power strongly enough to find it.

If your vision is grand, most people will not be able to see it, and will think you’re nuts. The naysayers get entangled in how to do it given what we currently know; the dreamaker gets fired up by the possibility knowing that the how will reveal itself as the vision intensifies.

Can you imagine the general reaction the first time Walt Disney voiced his plan to build an amusement park on the scale of Disneyland, or Alexander Graham Bell finding a way for us to eventually talk to anyone around the world or Gutenberg’s printing press that brought books to the masses? Even the credit for these discoveries is disputed because many had glimpses of the vision before these names brought these discoveries to the public eye.

If you have a dream, a vision that is so grand that it will have a positive impact on the world, even just a corner of the world, don’t be discouraged by naysayers. You are in good company. Intensify your vision until it has manifested for all to see.

Something Bothering You? Maybe You Can Create the Solution


[This video features Startup Connecticut, a program to help new companies launch their innovative ideas.]

Who hasn’t been unnerved by the sudden onset of the hiccups?

If you hiccup for only seven times, you probably move on with your life just mildly annoyed. If they
continue far beyond that or visit you frequently, however, you likely have searched for a cure.

Meet Mallory Kievman, a 13-year-old who has cooked up a cure for hiccups that just may stick:
Hiccupops, a lollipop made up of apple cider vinegar and sugar. (I know what you’re thinking,
your grandma was on to these ingredients. But did she put make them into lollipops?)

Mallory’s invention was first unveiled at an invention convention in Connecticut. Mallory’s idea is not
just child’s play. She wants to be a doctor one day and created this product, not only to solve her
own hiccup problem, but to help give relief to cancer patients often beset with hiccups as a result
of chemotherapy.

Even though she has gained much attention and enlisted the aid of a team of MBA students to help
her create her company, there are still challenges ahead. While angel investors are eager to embrace
projects that promise cures for common ailments, product testing will be one of the first hurdles.

Learn more about Mallory and her lollipops here, and here. The video above shows Mallory as
part of her state’s Startup program.

Have you been bothered by a common ailment or problem and thought of a solution? If so, take
inspiration from Mallory to share your solution with the rest of us. Your state may even have help
for you as part of a state startup effort.

Tell us your idea in the Comments.