Activate Your Imagination

As Albert Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand."

Imagination and Why It's Important.

Here's how the Oxford dictionary defines Imagination. "It is the ability of the mind to be creative or resourceful. It is the action of forming new ideas, or images or concepts of external objects not present to the senses."

J.K. Rowling , the?Harry Potter?author, can certainly be considered an imaginative storyteller. During her?Harvard commencement address ?in 2008, she said, "through imagination you envision that which is not. It is the basis for all invention...."

As summarized by?Forbes.com , "Rowling advised graduates to harness the power of their imaginations because imagination helped her reconstruct her life. She describes the idea and function of imagination in an intriguing way: 'In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.' She claimed that imagination is the root of all creativity and innovation, not only the uniquely human ability to picture the unreal, asserting that, 'We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.'"

According to the?brain-boosting blog , "Imagination can help you to find solutions that can be considered unexpected by your brain, but your imagination can create scenarios that solve problems in the most effective way."

My Story.

Growing up, I never considered myself creative or having a strong imagination. Therefore, I doubted that I could invent something new and worthwhile. I loved to learn and wanted eventually to earn my Ph.D. in order to be at the top of my field, yet that would require forming and testing a new idea. Could I do that?

To answer that question, I began to look for evidence in my early life that I indeed had an imagination. I realized that even at a very young age at times I could:

Hear a single word, see an image, and then break out in a song about it. For example, the word 'sunshine' would surface, and I saw a bright sun shining, and immediately start singing "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine....." This took fast-on-my-feet thinking, creativity, imagery, and singing.

Write a story. Every Friday in fifth grade, our teacher would give us a writing prompt. I would have an idea, get carried away, and go with the flow to quickly write a short story. This was an example of creating something new out of nothing.

Create a new cheer. In high school, I became a cheerleader. Rather than just do the same old routines the squad had presented in the past, I loved to generate new ways of standing, cheering, and clapping. This required out-of-the-box thinking and courage to go beyond the status quo.

I gained confidence in my imagination growing up, and I've been fortunate to continue to take advantage of it throughout my work and life. Yet, I've had to activate it and let myself use it. The result has helped me in creatively addressing all the various work and life challenges that arise.

Your Story.

What about you? When have you used your imagination? What have you done to stimulate it? What were the results?

Practical Pointers for Activating and Using Imagination.

1.Listen to stories. As stated in?Wikipedia , "a basic training for imagination is listening to storytelling, in which the exactness of the chosen words is the fundamental factor to 'evoke worlds.'... Imagination can be expressed through stories such as fairy tales or fantasies."

2.Look for Evidence. Just as I did, become aware of times when you have effectively used your imagination. This gives confirmation and belief that you are imaginative.

3.Take time. Pause. Reflect. Meditate. Go on a walk in nature. Breath. Be open. Let your creativity run wild.

4.Envision. Paint the picture. Visualize. I remember learning from master storyteller,?Sam Horn , on how to pitch Radish's new product offering. "Illustrate the pain from voice-only phone calls," she advised. "Then ask your audience to imagine a solution that leverages the power of visuals and voice. You don't have to imagine any longer, because?Radish ?has invented ChoiceView, which adds visuals to voice for both automated and live agent calls."

Summary

When you use your imagination, the potential is endless. Realize that you can activate and use your imagination. How? Listen to stories, look for evidence, take time, and envision. As Albert Einstein said, "Imagination will take you everywhere."

copyright Theresa M. Szczurek 2023. All rights reserved.