What does chess have to do with imagination anyway?
Laura Sherman: guest blogger
Artists, leaders, educators and pretty much anyone in any field can enhance our world through creativity and imagination. So what does this have to do with chess? Everything!
Chess helps a child develop his or her imagination. After all we’re just looking at a board with 64 squares and a bunch of pieces that can move around in different ways until the players breathe life into their games. As the pieces take their place on the battlefield, positions form and opportunities open up, but only if you can see them in your mind’s eye.
As a person improves, each position communicates more and more to him or her. One starts recognizing patterns and becomes able to plan future attacks. The way to win a game of chess is to plan out a strategy and follow through with it. You must be able to imagine your goal and then take the necessary steps to carry it out.
Apply this to any aspect of your life and you will do well. Decide what you want to accomplish, set the goal and then do what is needed to make that happen. Maybe you have a new business idea. Maybe you want a buy a home or you want to write a novel. The possibilities are endless and are under your control.
If we can teach our children early that it is okay to dream and that those dreams can come true, we might just be looking at an unstoppable next generation!
Laura Sherman co-owns Your Chess Coach (www.YourChessCoach.com) with her husband, Dan Sherman. Together they teach children to play chess through various schools in Pinellas County, Florida, as well as privately in students’ homes and online.
Laura on LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/laurasherman email: laurasherman@earthlink.net
May 24th, 2009 at 12:01
Laura,
I like your statement “If we can teach our children early that it is okay to dream and that those dreams can come true, we might just be looking at an unstoppable next generation!”
I am a little older and have been playing on chess.com almost daily for over 2 years and, beside being fun, I think it helps me think about situations better.
While chess it not the only tool for the growing up toolbox, it is a great one for the people it fits.
This ability to visualize is critical to success. “Hold a picture of yourself long and steadily enough in your mind’s eye, and you will be drawn toward it”.~Napoleon Hill
May 24th, 2009 at 16:47
Thank you, Jim! Yes, I think imagination can be an overlooked quality in today’s society. Artists are so important to us all!
I’d love to hear from your readers on how imagination assists them in their daily living! How do you use your creative skills to do more than just “survive”?
Laura
July 9th, 2010 at 08:51
Nowadays, you must be super creative to have a good business idea that works.”`~
July 12th, 2010 at 11:56
it is easy to get Business ideas, just look for a product or service that has demand and fill it~,.