Walt Disney was a giant in the world of imagination. On Saturdays, Disney took his daughters to a local park to ride the merry-go-round and play. While sitting on a bench watching his children enjoy their rides, Disney imagined an elaborate family park filled with happy people. He put every detail into place -- from the pirates of the Caribbean to Main Street USA.

This pioneer of family amusement had no similar facilities to draw ideas from. He relied on his imagination. Now, one particularly descriptive job title at Disney is “imagineer.”

Imagineering is the research and development arm of The Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation, design and construction of Disney theme parks and attractions worldwide. There are illustrators, architects, engineers, lighting designers, show writers and graphic designers. They make the magic happen.

An article in Bits & Pieces magazine claims each of us possesses a secret superpower that often goes underutilized.

This ability:

-- Can help you find innovative solutions to everyday and complex problems.

-- Transcends time, space and limitations.

-- Stokes our creativity.

-- Travels faster than the speed of light or sound.

-- Like a muscle, gets stronger with use and exercise.

What is this awesome power?

The answer might surprise you: your imagination.

Always remember that if you can conceive it, you can create a plan, get to work and bring your vision to fruition. Dream up bold and positive opportunities or focus on improving minute details that can bring about impactful changes.

No matter who you are or what you do, your imagination is a special thing that makes you unique. Unlock your imagination and watch yourself soar toward endless possibilities.

“When we recognize that everything in our life was created twice, first as a thought and then as a thing, we begin to recognize the incredible power of the imagination,” according to life coach Pam Sterling.

Let your subconscious mind help you exercise your imagination. Try this technique used by Thomas Edison: Ten minutes before you go to sleep, organize your thoughts. Think about a problem you’re trying to solve or ask your brain a question. Keep thinking about this as you drift off to dreamland.

Then, during the first 10 minutes after waking up, write down whatever pops into your head. You’ll often find that your brain has answered your question during your sleep. In the morning, your mind is looser, and you’re more likely to remember dreams and connect them to your daytime reality.

Even if you don’t think of yourself as the creative type, you can always amp your imagination up with a little effort. Here are some strategies I like to try when I’m searching for an original idea or an innovative solution:

Meditate -- Spend some time each day visualizing something pleasant and peaceful. It doesn’t have to relate to anything you’re working on; just picture a lake, a forest or even a loved one. You’ll relax your brain and body while creating a mental environment that makes way for fresh thinking. Another brain stimulator for me is exercise.

Pretend -- Look at ordinary objects around you and pretend they’re something different. Challenge your mind to look at things from a new perspective. Turn them upside down or sideways and see what they morph into.

Try something new -- Break out of your routine on a regular basis. Read a book on a subject you’re unfamiliar with, try a new sport, talk to someone you don’t know well. Different experiences can help loosen up stiff ways of thinking about things.

Make some art -- Try sketching a picture or writing a poem. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece. Give yourself permission to roam in an unconventional direction. You may see and hear the world differently later. Pablo Picasso didn’t listen to critics, and neither should you!

Mackay’s Moral: Anyone who thinks the sky is the limit has limited imagination.

There was a young boy who liked to gossip. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he gossiped, he should hammer a nail into the back fence.

The first day, the boy drove 37 nails into the fence. After that, they gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his tongue than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't gossip at all. He told his father about it, and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he exercised restraint.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things about other people, they leave scars just like these."

Think of gossip like the game most of us played as children where everyone sits in a circle and one person starts by whispering something in their neighbor's ear. That person then whispers what they heard in the next person's ear, and so on, until the last person is reached. The last person then tells what he or she heard. It's often fun to see how the initial message changes, drastically and quickly.

"Some people will believe anything if it is whispered to them," said Pierre de Marivaux, a French playwright from the 18th century.

Gossip and rumors have probably been part of the workplace culture since the days of the pyramids. ("Psst! I heard Cleopatra and that Roman dude are an item! Pass it on!") Although a certain amount of personal chitchat goes on in any workplace, gossiping employees can erode trust among co-workers and infect a team with dissension and hostility.

To keep rumors from gaining a foothold in your organization, follow this advice:

Improve general communications. Employees will believe rumors if they don't have access to facts. Even in tough times, give your people as much information as you can so they can rely on solid data, not half-truths. If you can't share news, explain why, so you don't appear to be hiding anything.

Confront rumors directly. If you catch wind of an untrue rumor, go to the source and set him or her straight, explaining the damage that false information can cause. Clear up the confusion with your entire workforce right away. They may think twice about spreading or believing rumors if they know you're ready to step in.

Set the right example. Don't listen to gossip that comes your way. Either correct any misinformation immediately, or explain that you're not interested in rumors. Don't pass along any unsubstantiated stories yourself. Let the gossip stop with you. If people persist in spreading rumors, suggest that they need more work to do.

Research has found that the people who talked trash about someone else unwittingly painted themselves with the same brush. When queried, recipients of gossip (the listeners) consistently attributed any negative traits they heard about a third party to the person delivering the gossip. The finding held even when listeners were told that the statements did not describe the person doing the sniping.

On the bright side: The same is true when the talk is positive. Believe it or not, not all gossip has to be bad. The grapevine can be a valuable source of information that can help you in your career.

Consider that some gossip can be intentional leaks of information you should know, and if you learn who is worth listening to, you can develop a sense of what's ahead for your organization.

Listen thoughtfully and don't feel like you have to add a comment. Adding grist to the mill may come back to haunt you, so hold your tongue and weigh the information you are receiving before you pass judgment.

Think of gossip like soft butter. It's easy to spread and adds a little flavor to just about everything. But trying to "unspread" it is just about impossible. There is always a little residue left behind, a greasy spot that's hard to clean up.

Think about that before you try to butter someone up with a little juicy gossip.

Mackay's Moral: If people would not carry gossip, it would not go so far.

Creativity fuels innovation, and innovation is essential to business. So I’m sharing my thoughts on creativity, yet I’m using one of my favorite formulas: a simple list of ABCs.

While the ABC approach itself may not be entirely creative, I think the message will bear me out. I have covered nine of the topics that I believe are the most important concepts in business over the years: customer service, leadership, networking, negotiations, sales, dreams, entrepreneurship, public speaking and team building.

Now it’s time to dissect creativity. Truly successful people understand the fundamental value of setting yourself apart from the competition or finding a creative way to stand out from the crowd.

A is for advertising. Expand your brand beyond media-generated advertising. For example, we painted our company name and phone numbers on top of our delivery trucks so they were visible to people who worked on upper floors of tall buildings.

B is for bold. People are not inspired by ordinary messages, so give them a reason to remember you.

C is for curious. Curiosity may not have been good for the cat, but it’s a winning formula for people.

D is for different. Don’t be afraid to do things that have never been tried before. You have to have enough faith in yourself to trust your instincts.

E is everyone. I firmly believe that everyone has the capacity to be creative, if only they allow themselves to be.

F is for funny. Most products or services can benefit from a creative and humorous approach. When you make people laugh or make them feel good, they are more likely to remember.

G is for genuine. Creativity does not include stretching the truth.

H is for head. Use yours to go to the head of the creativity class.

I is for ideas, which are like rabbits. If you can get a couple, pretty soon you have a dozen.

J is for January, which is International Creativity Month -- a time to remind individuals and organizations around the globe to capitalize on the power of creativity. Creativity is important all year long.

K is for kids. Kids are unafraid to take gigantic risks. They haven’t been trained yet to take the safe approach. Creativity comes naturally to kids.

L is for listen. We learn more by listening than talking. That’s why we have two ears and only one mouth.

M is for mistakes. Give yourself permission to try things even if you’re not sure they’ll succeed. Often, you’ll stumble across a different strategy or a better path along the way.

N is for nature. New evidence suggests you can boost your imagination and creativity by getting outside and spending some time in nature. Take a walk and clear out the cobwebs.

O is for open mind. Like parachutes, minds work best when they are open. Let ideas develop before you dismiss them.

P is for patience. You can’t hurry creativity, so take time to ponder your ideas. Sit back and think things over. Let the seeds of ideas bloom into full flower.

Q is for quest. When you are on a quest for new business or promoting a new product or service, you need to employ every creative strategy that you can muster.

R is for relax. Most people are at their creative best when they are relaxed and not under pressure.

S is for simple. No, this is not a contradiction. Creativity need not be complicated to be effective. Sometimes a simple approach is the most creative.

T is for thinking outside the box. Look for a fresh perspective or unconventional method instead of the same tired approach.

U is for understanding your limitations and then finding a creative way to blast beyond them.

V is for variety. Variety truly is the spice of life. Changes and new experiences make life more interesting.

W is for wonder. Creativity embraces the wonder of novelty and ingenuity, and turns them into wonderful results.

X is for exceed expectations. (That is my creative spelling.) Find creative ways to achieve awesome outcomes.

Y is for yesterday. If you did it yesterday, it’s not creative today. Look toward tomorrow instead.

Z is for zeitgeist. Catch the spirit of creativity!

Mackay’s Moral: Start every day with a healthy dose of vitamin C -- Creativity!