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Thomas Edison was 67 years old when, late one December evening, a fire broke out at his research and development plant. More than half of the buildings at the site burned as chemicals stored in his laboratory caused green and yellow flames to leap six stories high. As his assets were going up in smoke, he ran toward his son and shouted, “Go get your mother and all her friends. They’ll never see a fire like this again.”

I wonder if that would have been my response, or if I would have just felt sorry for myself as I watched the destruction of my work.

At 5:30 the next morning, Edison gathered his employees and announced, “We’re rebuilding!” He gave one man the job of leasing all the machine shops in the area, and another the task of obtaining a wrecking crane. He then asked, “Oh, by the way. Anybody know where we can get some money? We’ve just cleared out a bunch of old rubbish! We’ll build bigger and better on these ruins.” He then rolled up his coat for a pillow, curled up on a table and immediately fell asleep.

I think that Edison’s mind was so full of ideas that he wasn’t about to be stopped by a fire. He was ready to clear the chaos and get back to work. Although I consider myself to be a positive thinker, by Edison’s standards I have a long way to go.

His mind was a breeding ground for creative and innovative ideas. His thoughts were too important to be hindered by circumstances.

Where your mind goes, your emotions, speech, body language and actions often follow. It’s never too late to cultivate positive thoughts and develop the ideas that have been floating around your mind.

Now, think about that.

Ronny Michel may be reached at rmichel@rtconline.com.