How to nourish your imagination every day
Announcement of the day:
Pouring love into your imagination doesn’t have to be time-consuming.
Big bold statement? Maybe. But let’s back up a little bit.
For so many, imagination is the much-forgotten, often-overlooked sister to creativity. But, for one reason or another, imagination is usually the first piece of magic that falls by the wayside. Why? Because somewhere along the way, especially when life gets a little too hectic, we’ve become a little too worried about what people think.
Imagination is that wonderful part of you where you allow your mind to wander and visualise something that hasn’t happened yet. Pretty amazing, no? But why is it so important?
Imagination is the key to empathy. When we have empathy, we literally imagine ourselves in someone else’s shoes.
Imagination is the key to creativity. When we imagine new ideas, we can create incredible outcomes.
Imagination is the key to having a clear vision. When we can imagine where we need to go, we can take active steps in getting there.
All this adds up to becoming a better leader, a better human - and having incredible impact on the world.
But who’s got the time? It’s not as though we have huge chunks of time to simply sit and let our mind wander, right?
Nourishing your imagination is a little bit like mindfulness practice, one that doesn’t necessarily have to involve sitting still for 20 minutes. We can incorporate nourishing our imaginations into our every day, so that it takes little to no time at all. How?
1. Block your judgement
The biggest thing we can do to nourish our imaginations is to quieten that side of the brain that sits in judgement of what we think and do.
That part of the brain plays an important role - it helps us evaluate whether something will work or not, it protects us from risk, and it helps us plan ahead and take action.
But it also silences that wonderful, boundless potential for just… wondering. Dreaming. Cooking up ideas. Imagining different possibilities.
So the next time your mind is wandering, and you notice a thought creeping in that is a judgement (the thought sounds something like… ‘That wouldn’t work,’ or ‘That could never happen in real life’ - or even a slight feeling of embarrassment) … steer your mind back to your imaginative space. Don’t give that judgement thought a voice. It has no place in your world right now. There is plenty of time to judge and evaluate later.
It takes practice, and in the beginning it might even just be about noticing when the judgement happens. But keep practising, and you can learn to quieten that voice - and allow your imagination to flourish.
2. Lie on the ground
Next time you’re outside - watching your kids play or if you’re out on a picnic - lie on the ground.
Look up.
It’s a totally different perspective. If you have trees overhead, notice the whispering of the leaves as the wind rustles through them. If you have clouds overhead, see what shapes you can make with the clouds. You can’t help but think different thoughts when you’re looking at a different perspective.
3. Take a different route
Imagination feeds off being exposed to new things. But it’s easy to get stuck in the same routine. Taking the same route to work. Going for a run along the same road. Going to the same place for lunch.
But we can still start with the small things. When you have to drive to pick up groceries, take a different route home. Or when you go for your daily walk, walk a different route. Notice the different houses, plants, trees and people. Your clever brain will store it away, and it will help you to dream bigger things down the track.
Imagination is one of the few things we have left with guaranteed infinite possibilities. It’s also the key to your creativity. So next time you’re in a creative slump? Try a few small things, and you’ll feel that creativity start to ooze back into your being.
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