Month: November 2008

Richard Bach said, “You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true.  You may have to work for it, however.”

It makes sense to take action to make real what we imagine. Bach says work might be required, so simple visualization may not be enough. Yet, with the popularity of “The Secret” and other works about the Law of Attraction, one wonders about visualization versus action.

Consider your own life experience in something that you imagined – and that you also worked toward.  Most likely, it’s that combination of vision plus action that most reliably yields results.  Is that true for you?

Are there any areas of your life where your imagination and your actions are not well-coordinated?  How can you act more consistently with what you imagine?

Our Study Hall topic this week is the relationship between imagination and results. Today, consider the dynamics involved with what might be called “outrageous” results.

Our great friend, Leigh Gernert – Study Haller and Charter Results 101 Member – sent a link describing an over-the-top experience that could have only been possible by utilizing imagination to its fullest.  When you have a moment, take a look at the description of the “Pudding Man” who imagined that he could take his family to Europe by clipping coupons on a Healthy Choice promotion — and he did.  Thanks, Leigh!!

http://snopes.com/business/deals/pudding.asp

Inventors are excellent examples of imagination at work.  The Wright Brothers were ridiculed before Kitty Hawk, yet the product of their imagination changed the world.  Tuli Kupferberg, American poet, said, “When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge.”

Think about your patterns – the ones that work for you and the ones that haven’t.  Now imagine how they could be changed.  For example, imagine going to the gym in the mornings instead of leaving it to chance after work.  Imagine changing eating patterns, ways of dealing with finances, habits of relationships and communication.

Let’s imagine something today that approaches “outrageous” in its potentially great impact on your life and / or the lives of those around you.  Let’s grow that muscle of imagination!

Imagination – as we’ve been discussing it this week – can be a useful “muscle” to nourish and develop.  What are some ways to grow imagination? How can it be expanded?

Building any habit requires regular attention, and your imagination benefits from using it regularly.  Brainstorming with someone else is among the best ways to expand imagination.  Simply agree that it’s okay – and perhaps even necessary – to appear foolish and even silly as you think out loud.  Then think together!

Creativity and innovation are frequent products of imagining.  Our lives are improved by expansive thinking – challenging our previous limitations, wondering how problems can become opportunities, and entertaining notions of breakthroughs from breakdowns.

As Kurt Vonnegut said, “We are who we imagine ourselves to be.”

Today, let’s “imagine” ourselves living a day that stands out as fun, productive, and unique in how we move forward.  Think of at least three ways that your day could be improved – ways that would most likely not have happened if you did not take the time to imagine them.

This week, our topic is imagination and its relationship to results. Consider the possibility that the primary failure, if and when a project fails or does not meet our expectations, is a failure of imagination.

Richard Bach said, “To bring anything into your life, imagine that it’s already there.”  Could it really be this simple?

We know the power of visualization.  We are aware of that space that we call the Third Eye where all humans imagine the past and the future.

George Bernard Shaw said, “Imagination is the beginning of creation.  You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last you create what you will.”

What if we are living into our imaginations?

What if we took complete responsibility for the third eye vision?

If it were true that what we saw became our reality, we would certainly choose to become completely responsible for that vision.  Today, experiment with your ability to imagine and then to bring into reality.

Einstein famously said:  “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

Consider for a moment what informed Einstein’s point of view.  There’s a likely connection to a thought from Robert Mackay:  “We can only create what we can imagine.”

Einstein’s perspective implies that imagination actually facilitates an expansion of knowledge.  Broadly stated, learning is about understanding how to effectively address situations and what might be called “problems.”

These range from the most basic like how to read — all the way to how to address global warming.  Imagination serves the cause of easing global warming by causing us to think creatively about solutions.  The solutions to global warming are most likely to come from imagining what needs to be created to restore the health of the earth.

What role has an active imagination played in your life?  Is imagination an aspect of you that you’d like to expand?  How do you understand the connection between imagination and results?