We are all born with an imagination. Some of us may have had the opportunity to feed our imagination more than others, but we all possess the innate ability. Each of us can visualize, imagine, pretend and experience something in our minds, or our inner reality. As children, we imagine what we will be when we grow up. We believe that there are unlimited choices including anything from astronaut, rock star or ballerina. As young adults, we imagine falling in love and getting married, having children and raising a family. We visualize our careers and imagine our success. We take vacations in our minds and travel to faraway lands long before we board a plane. We literally dream our reality into existence. Thought becomes form. Dr. Joseph Murphy says, “As in Heaven (your own mind), so on earth (in your body and environment). This is the great law of life.”
As time goes by, we may allow our imagination to get a little out of shape from not being exercised enough. We begin to think that this is it; this is what our life is. I want to remind you that this is not it, because it is constantly changing. If it doesn’t matter to you, you don’t have to do anything. Just keep on doing what you’re doing and everything will remain the same. Well, it could get worse. If it does matter, you owe it to yourself to do something. Stretch your imagination! I invite you to remember what it was like to be a child and just pretend. Let yourself run wild in the world of ideas.
- Recognize the enormous power and value of your imagination. It is more powerful than willpower. Einstein said that it was more powerful than knowledge. This is an essential fact! If you don’t fully grasp this fact, you will never realize your full potential.
- Learn to control your imagination. You are the pilot at the controls and it is the vehicle which transports you. It will take you wherever you direct it to take you. Practice “seeing” visual images, “hearing” auditory messages or “feeling” different emotions. Make use of all your senses.
- Learn to use your imagination as preparation. Rehearse. Life is a performance. The mind doesn’t know the difference between what you imagine and what you perceive to be reality. If you can see it, you can be it.
- Develop the creative aspect of your imagination. Step outside of the box of what you “know” and begin to observe what you create. Think of new products or services or new ways of doing things. Change your perspective. All new and great inventions begin as an idea in the imagination of the inventor. David Alexander tells us that, “Your conscious mind can only know as much as it has experienced, explored or been taught to know. In other words, you do not know what you do not know. However, your subconscious mind is merged with the collective subconscious and has no limitations. There is where our dreams, imagination and intuition come from.”
- Brainstorm. Let yourself run wild with “what if”. Believe that everything is possible and that you have everything you need to do everything you want. Because it is! And you do!
- Practice. Practice. Practice. Catherine Ponder says, “The vision hour precedes the vision power.”
One of the most effective ways of accessing the power of your imagination is through hypnosis and therapeutic imagery. Allowing yourself to relax and go inward is the way to change your outward circumstances.