Rediscover Your Imagination

Do you remember what it was like growing up? I do… And I miss those days.

Not only because of the freedom I felt when I was riding my bike with friends. Or rollerblading down streets by myself trying to go faster.

Your imagination will be the path to solving your problems

Photo By Matthew Henry

Those were great. But there’s something else I miss from my youthful days.

I miss the imagination I once had.

My imagination used to run wild. I would imagine myself as an astronaut. Flying into the dark abyss of space and discovering new worlds.

Or maybe it was the times playing G.I. Joe. I vividly remember Duke and Snake Eyes and Scarlett battling the evil Cobra. Snake Eyes would climb up the yellowed power cord of a light we had hanging in our living room.

From there, he would hang on the hook that suspended the light in the air. He used this perch to evaluate the battlefield and plot his next move.

Of course, the Joe’s won in the end. They always do. They’re the good guys, right?

I’m sure you have a similar memory from your youth. You imagined an epic battle of good versus evil or the invention that cured cancer.

Yet how many of us are still using the wild imaginations we once had? If you’re like me, it’s not likely. Instead, your imagination has been dulled. It’s hard to think past tonight.

Rediscover Your Imagination

Much like an athlete who doesn’t use the muscles his sport requires, we lose the ability to use our imagination the less we use it. I bet it would be hard for you to create a fantasy world in your mind.

To envision alien creatures, strange plants, and unearthly sounds would be nigh impossible. But why? It’s like the athlete I just mentioned.

When you don’t use your imagination, it atrophies. Your imagination begins to shrivel and the creativity you once had withers.

There’s good news. You can rediscover your imagination. You can begin stretching your creativity and build up your imagination muscle.

Write creative fiction:

You may have a blog like I do. One where you share insights into business or family or faith. One where you only share the facts of the matter.

I want to encourage you to try something different. To stretch your imagination muscles.

Take one writing day a week and change it from writing nonfiction to penning a piece of fiction. Get as weird or as fanciful as you would like. But write something out of your comfort zone.

Use your imagination to see new worlds. Imagine new ways of travel. See yourself or someone you’ve created (maybe your customer avatar) and blast them into outer space.

This will make you think outside of your normal box. It’ll take you to new worlds and stretch your imagination.

Watch a great movie:

There’s a voice in the personal development world that has sold us lies. The voice has also destroyed our imaginations.

The voice has told you and I that we can’t watch great movies or TV shows. Instead, you need to focus all of your energy on becoming the best you.

While I believe you need to continually work on yourself, you also need to find time and activities to relax and free your mind. Watching a great movie will do this.

Watching a great movie will also help you rediscover your imagination.

By watching movies, you see new worlds, new people, new environments, and so much more. You have to suspend your belief and see new possibilities. That’s what a great movie will do.

And as you suspend your belief, your imagination is stretched. You see how others see.

Take the time to take a break and open up your mind. Then seize on the creative ideas a great movie will bring.

Play outside:

I give you permission to do something you may not have done in a long time. I give you permission to go outside and play in the grassy fields, the woods, or the river. It’s okay. You’ll be fine. So will your business.

But I really want you to get outside and play today.

Take off your shoes. Run through the green grass. Examine the large oak trees in the nearby woods. Splash in a nearby body of water.

Let your body sense and feel nature all around you. Then let your mind think of what nature could be.

You may think about the possible forest critters hiding under your feer. Or you’ll think of the odd sea life in the water you swam in.

Allow yourself to think of the most outrageous possibilities. Don’t push them away. Instead, welcome them in.

Now, laugh.. Have fun. Remember what it was like to be a kid.

The Reason To Rediscover Your Imagination

You may be thinking this is stupid. Why would I want to rediscover my imagination? There’s good reason.

By rediscovering your imagination, you begin to think of new ideas. These new ideas can connect themselves to some of your old problems.

The problems that have been plaguing you or your business for days… weeks… maybe even years.

Opening up your mind to new ideas and creative thinking, you’re able to look at problems with new eyes. You begin to see connections where there were no connections before.

Don’t be afraid to use your imagination to solve business problems. It’s one of the best ways to solve a problem.

Question: How have you used your imagination to solve a problem? Let us know in the comment section below.

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