Ideas happen all the time. And when I say an idea, I dont just mean a mere thought. An idea is more than a mental opinion and it is loftier than a sentiment. An idea is a special thought. It is a thought that gives you a rush, a sparkle, a feeling of exhilaration.

We all have ideas, but usually we brush them off, rushing to do other more pressing or more entertaining things. We treat ideas like beggars who try to steal our attention. We hurry past them with our eyes averted.

Then, of course, there are those times, when we need to resolve a situation as quickly as possiblebut our minds remain blank! Our feeble brainstorming sessions result in fatigue and frustration. Never mind! says the idea-generating Genie within.

Unless we cultivate a habit of writing down our ideas when they occur, we will not find them when we really need them. We cultivate ideas by learning more and by teaching what we know. And we cultivate ideas by capturing them on paper whenever they show up.

Ideas come loaded with inspirational zest. They call for attention, welling up from the depths of consciousness at the oddest timeswhen were falling asleep or waking up, when were in the shower, or when were climbing aboard a crowded shuttle.

Right now, Im giving you an idea. Im telling you that ideas can be your best friend and that you should treat them with respect, even reverence. When you fixate on a mental object, your brain automatically starts to elaborate on a theme, and before long, you start to get fresh new ideas.

Perhaps an idea can make you a fortune. Consider the idea of mixing two different types of favorite foods to create a unique combination. The foods are chocolate and peanut butter. Its a simple enough idea, but by acting on it, Hershey Foods has made $4.43 billion in sales. Yes, BILLIONS.

The other day, I had a simple idea that is making my life work better.

I noticed that when I dwelt on my problems, I became overwhelmed by them. This resulted in my not taking any action. And, generally speaking, they often got worse.

I noticed that making grocery lists forced me to notice what I needed and forced me to focus on picking up everything that I needed when I go shopping. Similarly, by making lists of my problems, I was able to sort through them and develop simple actions to resolve them.

When I decided to make a list of all my problems based on my positive experience with grocery lists, I combined two experiences which had nothing to do with each other to create an elegant strategy.

Now I get great satisfaction when I scratch off an item on my list. Problem after problem, task after task, I am moving forward in my life, adding more quality and eliminating more pain.

As my problems diminish my life is getting easier. Now Im beginning to see them as challenges rather than problems. And by noticing my own self-improvement, Im able to get more enthused about resolving difficulties by generating even more ideas.

A simple idea has changed my life.

A simple way to generate ideas is to ask questions like, If I were (state the problem) what would I like to happen right now? For example, If I were (a car that needed repair work) what would I like to happen right now? Then your mind would come up with an answer and an objection. Id get repaired (answer) but there isnt enough money (objection). Youd then continue dialoging with yourself in this vein until you could find an idea on how to generate more money, or find someone to fix it for free, or find a substitute repair work that would be cheaper until you did find the money. Do you see how it works?

Gathering ideas can be fun and they can change your life, too. All it takes is paying attention to all the ideas that are showing up for you every day.