Imagine An Apple
Jen Forsman
Stagefully Aligning Purpose & Performance for Lasting Impact | Asset Manager | Exec Coach
Hi Stagers!
Here’s an imagining to help us think quantumly—to hold multiple thoughts at once—when analyzing challenges, so as to mine elegant solutions both visually and sensorily. For, if we are to solve the problems of tomorrow, we must not only connect the dots (by thinking linearly + nonlinearly) but bring new dots into existence where none exist (by thinking quantumly). As Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
Unlike pure sight, vision is multidimensional (that is, it's staged physically and non-physically to allow for consilience... that is, the jumping together of all knowledge by way of imagination, to bring new knowledge into view). To achieve, we need only hack our intelligence by way of the imagination to expand beyond and to become passionately curious so as to mine.
So, here's an exercise to hack... Picture this imagining in your mind’s theater to see beyond mere sight. If you are unable to picture, think in terms of noise, taste, smell, or touch. However, you think best in overlaying. This isn’t magic or rocket science. Some might call it enlightenment.
But really, it’s just claiming your God-given imagination to create or experience anything in your mind. This may be new to you, and that's a-okay. You may doubt the power of your imagination, or think it childlike, but consider what Albert Einstein (born 1879) used to say and then enjoy the ride (and make it yours alone):
? “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.”
? "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."
? "Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere."
?? Dream
Close your eyes and imagine an apple resting in your palm. Its vibrant skin gleams under a soft light, smooth to the touch as your fingers trace its surface. You feel the slight resistance as your grip tightens, the weight of the apple cool against your skin. Bring it close and inhale the fresh, sweet aroma—a hint of crispness, like the scent of an orchard in early autumn.
Now, take a knife and slice into the apple. Hear the sharp crunch as the blade glides through, the subtle resistance as the apple yields to the cut. Watch the juices pool along the edges of the slice, catching the light as they slowly trickle down. Each cut reveals the crisp white flesh of the apple, its pattern of seeds nestled within. You set each slice aside, feeling the coolness of the pieces in your hand as you gently break them down further.
Continue breaking the apple down by mentally squeezing it into tiny droplets—so small they hover in the air, shimmering like suspended mist. These droplets carry the scent of freshness and sweetness, and you feel a gentle spray on your skin, cool and refreshing.
Now swirl and expand the droplets outward. Imagine them as they grow lighter, brighter, until they burst outward, transforming into a galaxy of stars. The sky around you fills with them, twinkling and glittering in every direction. You feel the subtle warmth of each star as you float through the vast expanse, their soft light casting gentle shadows. The silence around you is profound, yet you hear a faint hum—like the distant echo of the universe breathing.
Now, reach out and feel the space between these stars. Imagine the distance stretching between them, your fingertips tracing the invisible lines that connect them. Despite sharing the same origin, each star holds its own perspective, its own vantage point, offering you a new way to view the galaxy.
Experience the apple fully by reeling it into reality. Play, rewind, and fast-forward this vivid play in your mind. Don’t just see it—experience it. Move through time and space with the apple, exploring all its angles, perspectives, and possibilities—as the apple’s seeds continue to seed new worlds beyond which you’ve only yet to imagine.
?? Quest
Now, instead of the apple, imagine a challenge you are facing. See it hovering before you, suspended in space like the apple once was. It has weight, texture, and presence, just like the apple. Slice into it—not with a knife, but with your mind. Break it down into manageable parts. Feel the resistance as you deconstruct it, bit by bit, and notice the sensations it brings. Hear the sounds it makes as you work through its layers—does it creak, crack, or remain silent as you dissect it?
Watch as your challenge begins to dissolve. It breaks apart, disintegrating into tiny droplets that pool before scattering and transforming into a pixeled galaxy of stars. These stars now represent the many possibilities and solutions that lie ahead—limited only by mortal time. Travel through these stars at lightspeed, each one an opportunity to understand your challenge from a different angle. Your goal: to elegantly solve. For, what is most simple is most intelligent. Look for the shortcuts to hack. If no shortcut exists, lean into the vacuum.
As you pass through this galaxy, you notice that some stars are warmer, radiating a gentle, welcoming glow. These are the life-giving stars—the ideas or solutions that nurture you, bring clarity, and guide you forward. Pause at these stars. Feel their warmth, their supportive energy, and reflect on the paths they present. These stars hold the key to growth, to solving your challenge with purpose and meaning.
But as you move deeper into the galaxy, you’ll also find that some stars are colder, more distant, more menacing. Their light is sharp, almost cruel, casting shadows rather than warmth. These stars may represent doubt, negative thoughts, or paths that seem to lead nowhere. Observe them, but don’t linger. They remind you of the obstacles in your mind, the fears or anxieties that try to hold you back. Recognize them, but let them drift away—these stars are not your focus.
Explore which stars are life-giving, the ones that breathe new energy into your journey. Zoom in on them. These stars offer hope, creativity, and action. Zoom out again, seeing the full constellation of your challenge. Sense the balance between warmth and cold, knowing that the path forward lies in focusing on the life-giving possibilities.
Your challenge is no longer a barrier—it’s a galaxy of stars that you can navigate with clarity. Choose your stars wisely, and let the ones that warm you, guide in scripting your next steps to stage with grounded action. That is, not only by practicing in your mind's theater but also by performing in the real world as you bridge with action.
? Shine
As the day begins to slow and the light softens, take a moment to reflect on the journey through your galaxy of stars. Think back to the challenge you faced, how you explored it from every angle, and how the stars—the possibilities—began to align.
Consider the life-giving stars that offered warmth and clarity. How did they guide you today? Which solutions emerged, and how did they connect to form a clearer path? As you moved through the spaces between, did you notice how these stars began to link together, creating a constellation of new insights and opportunities?
Reflect on the way these new connections formed—not only connecting the dots between old ideas, but how entirely new ones began to emerge. Did you find patterns you hadn’t seen before? Did some of the colder stars provide unexpected lessons, even if they didn’t guide you directly?
Now, zoom out and take in the full constellation. Notice how your challenge, once fragmented and uncertain, has evolved into something cohesive and expansive. The stars you chose to follow didn’t just help you navigate—they have created new paths, new ideas, and new solutions that didn’t exist before.
Close your eyes and feel the alignment of these stars within you, the way they’ve come together to form a new constellation of possibilities. Each choice you made, each perspective you explored, has shaped the new pattern. This is your map—one that leads you forward with clarity and purpose.
The stars are not fixed. They shift, realign, and grow as you do. Trust in the stars that continue to align, and in the new ones you create along the way.
?? S(t)age Tip: There is a glory and beauty of the sun, another glory of the moon, and yet another [distinctive] glory of the stars; and one star differs from another in glory and brilliance. — 1 Corinthians 15:41
??? Stagefully Tip: When facing a challenge, learn to think quantumly—to hold multiple thoughts at once—by engaging not only your visual mind but also your other senses. Absorb and merge your thoughts to direct. For, while a picture may be worth a thousand words, a vivid reel of sensory experience within your mind’s theater is worth far more. As children, we develop our imaginations, but as adults, we often let them fade. We develop and develop them out.
Rekindle your imagination through practice to expand your intelligence, consciousness, and character. Take time to break down challenges and explore elegant solutions. Deconstruct these solutions, like the apple, and let the pieces transform into a galaxy of new connections and ideas.
Focus on the stars that bring warmth, clarity, and momentum. And keep going. At first, your imagination may feel rusty, but with time, the vision in your mind’s theater—where you can imagine yourself performing on your mental stage—will become vivid again. This will help you bridge the gap between dreams and reality.
?? Take Action: Identify one challenge today that feels overwhelming. Break it down mentally, piece by piece, and allow it to transform in your mind. Look for the connections between possibilities, and follow the path where the stars align most clearly. Take one small, concrete action to move closer to a solution.
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Wishing you + yours a lovely day.
Fondly,
Founder, Stagefully
"Igniting Imagination to Stage Life with Purpose"
?? Poetic Path: In the theater of my mind, I stand, A challenge before me, within my hand. I slice through doubt, the stars ignite, New paths emerging, guiding light.
Where thoughts align, both near and far, I trace connections, star by star. In quantum leaps, I rise and grow, From unseen dots, new worlds will show.
Imagination soars on wings of night, Beyond the seen, into the infinite flight. With every stage, my steps are clear, As I make new paths from here.