It happened like this: One time when Land and his three-year-old daughter were in New Mexico, she asked why she couldn't immediately see a photograph that he had snapped. He took a short walk through the desert, pondering that question. By the time he had returned (and it was no more than an hour, he recalled), he had visualized the elements of the instant camera. "You always start with a fantasy," he said. "Part of the fantasy technique is to visualize something as perfect. Then with experiments you work back from the fantasy to reality, hacking away at the components.

Really gifted people, as the article suggests, discover products or ideas and not really invent them. It is as if they already have it in front of them when they try to articulate through words and expressions.

Sculley, former co-CEO of Apple, once said that he observed Steve Jobs having this ability when he talked about the Macintosh when it was yet to be produced.

I think most of us, if not all, have this ability especially when visualizing our own future or career path. We know where we want to be and what we want to do - it's just a matter of making that happen. When I have career discussions with my employees or when I ask a job applicant on long term plans, I let them focus on these key points:

• Don't think of a specific company or a specific job/position. Think of a type of work you want to do, in what industry and for how long. Think of a fantasy 8-to-5 routine. 
• Are you leaning towards a leadership or management path, on knowledge-transfer, technical or on design? 
• Do you have what it takes to make the fantasy a reality? If yes, you are an anomaly but good on you! 
• If you don't have what it takes [yet] to make the fantasy a reality, it's perfectly OK. Answering these questions and having these discussions is the first step. 
• Because the next steps are listing down the things you will need to achieve, acquire, learn, buy, steal, etc., in order to make the fantasy a reality. 

Now, get to work.