“Some look at things that are, and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not?
– George Bernard Shaw
Imagination is the home of the new, the unknown, the undreamed of. It is the place from where new discoveries come, and new answers to old questions. It enables us to enjoy stories, songs and movies.
It is the key to all the riches of life.
Bringing your dreams to life
The main use of the imagination is to dream. Now, the word “dream” has an unreal quality to it. We often reject an idea because it is too dream-like. Maybe because the dreams we have each night seem to be patched-up nonsense. In the ame way, we tell ourselves to quit “day-dreaming”.But dreaming has another practical use.
But dreaming has another practical use. It is the dreamers who, as T.E. Lawrence said, are the “dangerous men”. These are the people who believe in their dreams. Our cars, planes, the telphone, practically anything you can name, was once a dream in some person’s mind. Dreams can undoubtedly change the world.
If dreams can create so much good in the world, what can they do for your life?
The answer, it turns out, is “A Whole Lot!”
Dreams and Reality
The reality that we think is “out there”, unchangeable, fixed, objective, is actually mostly manufactured in your own head. Each of us has a different reality, built up out our memories, beliefs and experiences. Reality is mostly imagined. It’s your imagination that constructs your world. And therefore, if you can control your imagination you can change who you are and what the world is.
This is medical, proven, scientific truth. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Imagination can, and does, affect your performance in the real world. “Mental Practice” has been shown to have a positive effect on the performance of sportsmen as well as musicians.
In one study, three groups of basketball players were chosen; one group received actual physical practice throwing the ball; the second group got no practice at all, and the third group were given only mental or imaginary practice. Sitting quietly, they saw themselves in their mind’s eye, making the throws. If they missed, they made corrections until they sank the throw. The groups were tested on the first and last days, after a period of 20 days. The first group showed an improvement of 24%; the second group didn’t improve at all, which you would expect; but the third group, who practised only in their minds, showed an improvement of 23%!
Dr. Maxwell Maltz in his famous best-seller, “Psycho-Cybernetics” tells of many cases in which people were crippled by their imagined shortcomings. One man thought his ears and nose were so big that he was repuslive to others. He kept to himself, avoiding going out or meeting people. He even thought his own family was ashamed of him. Once he understood that his features were by no means out of the ordinary, he was able to overcome his fears and live a successful life. Dr. Maltz recounts many other similar stories.
Your imagination is your primary power of achievement. It makes will power unnecessary. “Imagination is more important than knowledge,” said Einstein. Imagination takes into account not only all there is and was, but all there can ever be.
How to use your imagination.
Many techniques have been developed which help you to develop your imaginative power. Vision boards, visualization, goal-setting, affirmations and other methods make use of the power of your imagination.
There are no limits you can set to what you can achieve once you learn to harness the power of your imagination. Your greatest dreams will actually come alive!