How to Use Imagination Today
The line between imagination and reality is fuzzy when you’re 3-years old. Sadly, we outgrow pretend.
Everything in the real world began with imagination.
Imagination:
Maya, our youngest granddaughter, baked cookies for us in her pretend oven. She’s three and lives in Paris. We were on video.
She colored cookies. Put them in the oven. She phooed on them to cool them. And held one up to the screen. What she didn’t know is I grabbed a real cookie while she baked.
She held a pretend cookie up to the screen and poof a real cookie appeared in my hand. We all laughed. It was delicious. Of course, she made more cookies for mimi and poppi. And magically they appeared. I told her I wanted pizza. And poof it came through the screen. Finally, she wanted to make us a crepe. Ooopps. We weren’t hungry anymore.
Reality:
Everything lives in imagination before it exists in reality.
The Wright brothers imagined flight. Edison imagined listening to music without a symphony present. Samuel Morris and many others imagined instant communication across vast distances. The telegraph was born. And Dick Tracy wore a communication watch.
Worry is imagined failure. Confidence is imagined success.
Problem:
You imagine a successful business. You don’t imagine the sweat of building a business.
You imagine the end, not the work.
Imagination doesn’t create things. Work brings things into existence.
Application:
You imagined yourself leading meetings before you led them. I imagined myself speaking in front of audiences when I was 13-years old.
Who do you imagine you could become?
If you can’t imagine it, you can’t live it.
Imagine you’re a stunning success today. What’s true of you? More importantly, what will you do today to bring imaginings into reality?
Still curious:
How to Leverage the Power of Imagination to Develop Leaders
How to Defeat the Dark Side of Imagination
“The Vagrant,” teaches people how to engage in structured self-reflection. I encourage you to get your copy today. The story is compelling and the exercises at the end set readers on a life-changing journey. Click here to purchase, The Vagrant, on Amazon.
Everything changes when we change the way we think about ourselves.
Great piece Dan – really love the suggested shift to imagining outcomes as opposed to drifting into the challenges/negatives….
You don’t like crepe’s – really?? 😉
Thanks, John. I love crepes. We didn’t have any in the fridge to use when she held her’s to the screen. 😉
Dan
You never disappoint. The “Worry is imagined failure, and success is imagined confidence” quote stopped me in my tracks. I have never really thought about worry with a direct link to failure, or confidence to success. But after reading that and some reflection, it’s pretty spot on.
Thank you for making me think deeper on the daily!
Thanks Ryan. I appreciate the feedback. I appreciate that you’re taking some time to reflect. I wish you well.
Dan,
Once again a profoundly powerful post. Imagination is our most powerful attribute. We are socialized to ignore it. We chastize children, as well as adults for daydreaming, when if fact our imagination is where our brilliance resides. It is limitless,and as both Plato and Emerson noted, the birthplace of ideas.
Thank you for the reminder.
Thanks for leaving a comment today, Deborah. It’s hard to imagine, life without imagination.