Is It Just My Imagination Or Has Life Gotten Too Serious?

“Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.” ~ Albert Einstein

Imagination is often thought of as frivolous. It is trivialized and devalued, even considered a ‘luxury’ for people who don’t have anything better to do. However, your imagination is a crucial ingredient in living a life you can savor. We are born with it. It should be nurtured right from the day we take our first breath.

A simple way of understanding the importance of your imagination is to realize – you wouldn’t be able to get out of bed in the morning without it. You have to imagine yourself throwing back the covers and leaving the warm, cozy comfort of sleep. What will you have for breakfast? You have to imagine yourself making the coffee and cooking the eggs.

I bet you haven’t thought about your awesome imagination that way before.

All the marvelous discoveries over the centuries came about because someone opened and TRUSTED their imagination. The morning coffee I mentioned previously – someone had to pick a coffee bean and say, “Hey, I wonder what this tastes like?” for coffee to become the popular beverage it is today. I am grateful they did!

Look around you and really appreciate the creativity it took to bring the comforts of home into fruition.

Do you need your glasses to take that look? A little spark in someone’s imagination created those lenses!

Imagination is one of the keys to living a full and vibrant life.

Embrace the bright, unlimited possibilities all around you and carry on living your daily activities from that space. Friends and loved ones will benefit from your essence of joy and wonder.

If you’re feeling like you just can’t get to that awesome place in your mind, try this:

Remember when you were a kid? You would read a book or watch a movie and BECOME one of the characters. Immerse yourself in those memories again. Feel the smile on your face and the excitement in your stomach as pirates are about to attack your ship or the Wicked Witch of the West is about to land in front of you.

You’re LIVING in that scene, and at the same time you know you’re in your backyard with a stick for a sword. But it’s MAGICAL; it expands your mind and your creativity. It’s so much FUN!

Here are some simple things you can do right now to rev up your imagination:

* Watch a kid’s movie and allow yourself to relax and enjoy it. Peter Pan, Harry Potter, Lion King, Anastasia and Ever After are some of my favorites. Then there are the pirate movies, the Indiana Jones series, etc. Imagine you are one of the characters.

* Take time to look up at the clouds and find animals, faces, all sorts of shapes. Imagine yourself flying up to that cloud! What does it feel like?

* Use Guided Meditations. You’ll feel that you are in another place, maybe even another time. Conscious Meditations™ bring out visualizations, joy and wonder that you may have never experienced before. Find more information about these unique meditations and Discover Your Brilliance.

* Read children’s books. My niece enjoyed the Magic Tree House series about a magical library. The main characters pick a book in the library, are instantly transported to another country and adventures ensue. Imagine a library like that in your backyard. Where would you travel to first?

* Enroll in Sheila Applegate’s, “20ish Quick and Easy Tips to Make Adulting Great Again!”  Every day you will be gifted with a fun little exercise to get your imagination in tip-top shape.

*Pretend you have a magic wand! As you go about your day, no matter where you are, wave your wand and create your own world. POOF! The trees are purple; people look like they are from another planet; animals are walking down the street and they are talking to you! What are they saying?

*Let’s change it up. Take a creative moment and picture yourself all alone. You’re the only person on the planet. There’s no stress, no deadlines, no one depending on you. Take a deep breath and know you have the freedom to do whatever you want! Create your own beautiful world: the earth is pristine and so fresh, no buildings or roads! YOU are the one taking the first footsteps EVER on the deep, green grass. What is the first thing you would do? RUN? YELL!? You’ll find that you end up laughing. BE YOUR TRUE SELF. Notice how your body feels as you observe yourself from this perspective. Now carry that feeling of total freedom with you.

Give yourself permission to play with these examples or make up your own! Once you start expanding your imagination, notice how your life starts changing. You are more relaxed. There’s a spring in your step. You are smiling and have a twinkle in your eye because you have discovered a secret!

As you continue allowing your imagination to flow freely, new ideas will pop up to experiment with every day. Enhancing your day with this new technique will quickly become a habit. Your creativity will blossom and thrive. Every aspect of your life will benefit from these simple interventions.

Not long from now you’ll look back and wonder why you hadn’t been using your fabulous imagination all along!

Each night I take a moment to gaze up at the starry sky and breathe in its wonder. Witnessing the shimmering brilliance of the stars, I begin to giggle as I find my own brilliance in their reflection.