Edison goes fishing

Hi Ankesh, Your story reminded me of a wonderful book that starts with this quote ...

"When you become quiet, it just dawns on you." EDISON

The title of the book is... "Talk And Grow Rich" by Ron HOLLAND.

The back page of my copy reads... "How often have you tried to remember some elusive fact that hovers just out of reach, only to find that when you've given up and stopped trying, the information simply pops into your head?

This is the secret behind Ron Holland's formula.

SILENCE, STILLNESS AND SOLITUDE.

In this remarkable book, Ron Holland explains how everyone can tap the unlimited power of their unconscious mind any time they like. He shows us how we can use the three keys - silence, stillness and solitude - to discover ways to achieve any ends we desire, simply by learnibg to talk to people.

Find out: How to persude people to do what you want, but have them think it was all their idea. How to sell anything to anyone including the most hardened and demanding buyer. How to generate so many foolproof ideas that you will need to carry a pen and paper around with you to write them all down."

After reading this book I knew I needed help in learning how practice SSS.

One way that really helps me is to play the Wild Divine Game which uses biofeedback sensors.

It’s a really cool game. Here’s a few words taken from the box it came in...

“Wearing three finger sensors that track your body's energy levels, you move through enchanting and mystical landscapes using the power of your thoughts, feelings, breath and awareness.

Wise mentors guide you throughout the realm, empowering you with yoga, breathing and meditation skills needed to complete over 40 biofeedback 'energy' events.

Build stairways with your breath, open doors with meditation, juggle balls with your laughter, and so much more. The Journey makes biofeedback, a popular method of alternative healthcare, easily accessible and empowers you to take mind-body wellness, literally, into your own hands.”

If anyone is interested they can find more information and see a demo of the game by searching for it on Google.

Cheers,

Steve Shulenski
http://www.PetPhotoBiz.com

[Ankesh]

Great thoughts.

It reminds me of that Eureka story - how Archimedes came upon the solution of determining if the crown had pure gold in it or not in the bath.

Also reminds me of something Dien posted long time ago on the old sowpub forum - about Henri Poincare and how he researched into what made people more creative.

This is what Google tells us about Henri Poincare's ideas:

Poincaré then goes on to analyze this raw evidence. He draws the following conclusions:

1. The creations involve a period of conscious work, followed by a period of unconscious work.

2. Conscious work is also necessary after the unconscious work, to put the unconscious results on a firm footing.

3. ...

4. The unconscious can present the conscious mind with something that is not fruitful, but which is nevertheless elegant or beautiful.

5. What the unconscious presents to the conscious mind is not a full and complete argument or proof, but rather "point of departure" from which the conscious mind can work out the argument in detail. The conscious mind is capable of the strict discipline and logical thinking, of which the unconscious is incapable.

Taken from:
http://www.is.wayne.edu/drbowen/crtvyw99/poincare.htm

Poincare's theories (at least some of them) have been disproven in subsequent studies. An UNdisciplined sub-conscious produces some nuggets but nothing complete. We now know that a kind of directing and disciplining, if you will, of the sub-conscious process can produce completed gems.

From personal experience, I know this to be true, as do many other writers who write as I do. Do the research, explore the elements in the conscious mind, then leave it alone. When I sit down to 'harvest' what the subconscious does with the materials (it lets me know when it's ready), I seldom have to make any kind of corrections to the finished product...if I do, it's usually very minor grammar or punctuation changes.

So, how do you discipline the subconscious? You do it by suggestion and directing your thought processes to the subconscious to let it know exactly what you want...and then you leave it alone to do things the way it wants to. It gets better with each practice until it's virtually an automatic event. I don't even have to direct or suggest to my subconscious any longer unless I'm trying something new or unfamiliar.
Sandi Bowman

[Ankesh]

Another thought I had... Is silence really important for "every one"?

Edison sure needed an hour of silence to organize his thoughts. And so he went fishing without a bait.

But on the other hand - there is Richard Feynman. To organize his thinking, he went to those loud strip bars every day.

Maybe its the introversion vs extroversion playing out here? 49% population needs silence and the other 51% need crowds to get them to think... maybe?

Edison was not what you really think. He use to take many things from other people that did not develope them fully. And the camera was invented by one of Edison workers. NO the worker did not accomplish anything when he left Edison. There was something special about Edison, no doubt.

[Ankesh]

The special something about Edison is - he "focused" on only "practical" inventions.

He was certainly not the most smartest - but he was the most focused inventor the world has ever seen.

My fav inventor award would go to R. Buckminster Fuller. What a colourful story! But he did spend 2-3 years developing the "perfect" 2-D map. And yet, we don't use his maps because the not-so-perfect maps are perfectly practical* for most people.

(*these 2-D maps are not practical for everyone though. Bucky claimed that the best and quickest way to beat Germany during WW2 would be from the north Arctic regions and not through Africa. But because of the maps most people use, the African route looks like its the shortest. A few thousand lives could have been saved if the planners had not used the faulty 2-D maps and planned an attack from the North.)

Unfortunately, he is not well known as Edison and not known by many. We might of heard of him but like me we know little of R. Buckminster Fuller. Anything more you can tell us about his would be appreciated I am sure. Yes, Edison was focused on what he was doing. That is one of his greatest secrets.

I focus on business. Because I love it.