Everything starts with the imagination. We inevitably
become the persons we imagine ourselves to be. Every
invention begins with imagination, often powered by
frustration, curiosity or clever ambition.
Over the years, we become rich or poor, confident or
doubtful, happy or frustrated, largely based on how we
imagine our lives to be. At an early age, some imagine that
their lives will inevitably be blessed with education and
they expect to go to school, they read daily, they ask
questions, and thirst for knowledge. Inevitably, after a
while, they (and the people around them) begin to notice
that these people actually know some things!
At the same time, others imagine themselves as "slow" or
"limited" or unable to "afford" education--and as a result
they read less, take fewer classes, watch fewer educational
YouTube videos, and gradually fall further and further
behind. As the saying goes, "Some people make things
happen; some watch things happen, while others can only
ask, 'What happened?'"
Some imagine themselves as having a gift or talent, a knack
or power to make money. They think about increasing their
income. They read about how to make "something out of
nothing." They hang out with, read about, or study folks
who have made large sums of money, and they pick up tips
and tricks, skills and ideas about how they can duplicate
what their mentors have already done. They become rich.
Others read the news or listen to people who bemoan that
the world is going downhill and that opportunities are
limited. They fear that illness or terrorism or some other
insidious force will prevent their success. These people
worry a lot! They imagine the "game is fixed" and that the
"rules are stacked" against them. They believe only the
"lucky" can succeed, and tragically, the world they imagine
slowly becomes the reality within which they live their
lives.
Imagination is universal. We all have it. We all dream, we
all fantasize and create images of what tomorrow will bring.
Further, imagination is free and cannot be taken from us. In
the Nazi concentration camps, Viktor Frankl noted that
imagination was the one thing the guards could never take
from the inmates. Imagination is not limited by time or
space, or by anything else in the world.
You can imagine anything you wish, at any time. For a
moment, imagine you are on a magnificent yacht, with staff
attending to your every wish. Or, in contrast, imagine you
are in Liberia, surrounded by loved ones dying of Ebola.
Whoa! That's awful! So, let's imagine, instead, that you
own a prosperous business, that serves millions of
customers and generates lucrative profits every month.
Imagine you live in a large and sumptuous home, and if you
are a guy, that you drive a Lamborghini. (If you are
female, imagine you are chauffeured in a Bentley.)
We imagine our own lives, and our future, every day. I've
read that at age 15, Steven Spielberg imagined himself
making the world's best movies. And I suspect that George
Lucas dreamed of spaceships and Star Wars. From
biographies, I know that as a sickly, asthmatic boy in New
York, Teddy Roosevelt read about cowboys exploring the Wild
West. And we know how his story turned out.
According Walter Isaacson's biography, Albert Einstein was
not a particularly gifted mathematician. But, as a young
man he imagined himself riding on a beam of light. His
imagination changed the world, won a Nobel Prize, and he's
considered one of the great geniuses of all time. That man
could day dream!
It is vital to take full responsibility for your
imagination. It is the foretaste of life's coming
attractions. It predicts and previews your future. You
become the person you consistently and intentionally
imagine yourself to be.
Use books and movies, interviews and friendships to create
the world you imagine for yourself. When you write or think
about your goals, don't merely focus on the facts and
achievements, but imagine the world and the life your
achievements will create for you. Imagine being the kind of
person who routinely achieves your goals, and infinitely
more!
become the persons we imagine ourselves to be. Every
invention begins with imagination, often powered by
frustration, curiosity or clever ambition.
Over the years, we become rich or poor, confident or
doubtful, happy or frustrated, largely based on how we
imagine our lives to be. At an early age, some imagine that
their lives will inevitably be blessed with education and
they expect to go to school, they read daily, they ask
questions, and thirst for knowledge. Inevitably, after a
while, they (and the people around them) begin to notice
that these people actually know some things!
At the same time, others imagine themselves as "slow" or
"limited" or unable to "afford" education--and as a result
they read less, take fewer classes, watch fewer educational
YouTube videos, and gradually fall further and further
behind. As the saying goes, "Some people make things
happen; some watch things happen, while others can only
ask, 'What happened?'"
Some imagine themselves as having a gift or talent, a knack
or power to make money. They think about increasing their
income. They read about how to make "something out of
nothing." They hang out with, read about, or study folks
who have made large sums of money, and they pick up tips
and tricks, skills and ideas about how they can duplicate
what their mentors have already done. They become rich.
Others read the news or listen to people who bemoan that
the world is going downhill and that opportunities are
limited. They fear that illness or terrorism or some other
insidious force will prevent their success. These people
worry a lot! They imagine the "game is fixed" and that the
"rules are stacked" against them. They believe only the
"lucky" can succeed, and tragically, the world they imagine
slowly becomes the reality within which they live their
lives.
Imagination is universal. We all have it. We all dream, we
all fantasize and create images of what tomorrow will bring.
Further, imagination is free and cannot be taken from us. In
the Nazi concentration camps, Viktor Frankl noted that
imagination was the one thing the guards could never take
from the inmates. Imagination is not limited by time or
space, or by anything else in the world.
You can imagine anything you wish, at any time. For a
moment, imagine you are on a magnificent yacht, with staff
attending to your every wish. Or, in contrast, imagine you
are in Liberia, surrounded by loved ones dying of Ebola.
Whoa! That's awful! So, let's imagine, instead, that you
own a prosperous business, that serves millions of
customers and generates lucrative profits every month.
Imagine you live in a large and sumptuous home, and if you
are a guy, that you drive a Lamborghini. (If you are
female, imagine you are chauffeured in a Bentley.)
We imagine our own lives, and our future, every day. I've
read that at age 15, Steven Spielberg imagined himself
making the world's best movies. And I suspect that George
Lucas dreamed of spaceships and Star Wars. From
biographies, I know that as a sickly, asthmatic boy in New
York, Teddy Roosevelt read about cowboys exploring the Wild
West. And we know how his story turned out.
According Walter Isaacson's biography, Albert Einstein was
not a particularly gifted mathematician. But, as a young
man he imagined himself riding on a beam of light. His
imagination changed the world, won a Nobel Prize, and he's
considered one of the great geniuses of all time. That man
could day dream!
It is vital to take full responsibility for your
imagination. It is the foretaste of life's coming
attractions. It predicts and previews your future. You
become the person you consistently and intentionally
imagine yourself to be.
Use books and movies, interviews and friendships to create
the world you imagine for yourself. When you write or think
about your goals, don't merely focus on the facts and
achievements, but imagine the world and the life your
achievements will create for you. Imagine being the kind of
person who routinely achieves your goals, and infinitely
more!
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