Quote: "All things are created twice," says Stephen R. Covey

"There's a mental or first creation, and a physical or second creation to all things.

"Take the construction of a home, for example. You create it in every detail before you ever hammer the first nail into place. . . .

"Then you reduce it to blueprint and develop construction plans. . . .

"You have to make sure that the blueprint, the first creation, is really what you want, that you've thought everything through. Then you put it into bricks and mortar. . . . You begin with the end in mind.

"Through imagination, we can visualize the uncreated worlds of potential that lie within us."

—from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

The power of visualization is this: anything you can imagine you can make real, constrained only by the natural laws of the universe. Use this knowledge to travel down many roads and imagine many possible outcomes until you find the one that feels right. Work out the details in your mind and save a lot of time in the execution.

Your power of mental visualization is the most important creative skill you can develop.