Imagination used effectively can be the most powerful way to unleash the power of your own mind.
As a generalization, in Western society tools that develop or nurture creativity and imagination are considered far less important than tools that develop logic, proof, evidence, persuasion, being “right “.
Being “wrong” is anathema to most people under any circumstances! Sadly this has unfortunate consequences when it comes to nurturing imagination and creativity – and thus for new ideas, inventions and developments.
Developing imagination and creativity
In the recent past there have been people like Edward De Bono whose books received public acclaim – The Six Thinking Hats is one that springs to mind most readily. In “6 Thinking Hats” the intent was to encourage people to think outside their usual frames of reference; to encourage creative thinking.
For example, it offered a technique for dealing with challenges and problem-solving that relied on adopting different perspectives on the problem-issue. The concept was novel and clever. However interest in “6 Hats” never really became widespread as a tool. Certainly not amongst the group of people who could have benefited from its application – businesses and corporations.
My hunch is, “6 Thinking Hats” asked people to step too far beyond their “comfort zones”. “6 Hats” was too novel (fanciful) as a technique.
Human beings are creatures of habit. While habits are great for carrying many mundane or routine activities, relying on habits isn’t effective for non-routine activities. This includes problem solving, planning, invention. Resorting to what you already know and do habitually, only results in “more of the same”.
Except for people working in creative areas and innovative industries like car design or aeronautics to mention two, most people have not been taught the value of developing or using creativity or imagination on any regular basis. And certainly not on a daily basis in their jobs or lives.
What is imagination and why is it so important to develop?
Let me address “what” first. Imagination is about the free-wheeling of ideas and emotions. It’s big picture stuff. It’s about dreaming, envisioning. Imagination has no interest in “being right or wrong”. It is exploratory, pioneering. And above all – it’s meant to be easy, light and fun!
True imagination explores and reaches into the unknown. It frequently ‘mixes and matches elements’ from diverse sources – to create something new, different. Or it may wipe the slate clean, as it were, and dream something totally original, new.
Full bodied imagination is a multi-sensory experience
At it’s best imagination is truly multi-sensory involving all common senses – sight, sound, touch, smell, taste, as well as ‘uncommon senses’ like intuition, gut feelings, passion, clairvoyance, clair-audience, clair-sentience.
The latter referring to faculties or abilities of “insight” – the ability to reach into the future (mentally); to hypothesize, see or sense outcomes and consequences; to feel inspired in the present to achieve or mitigate future probable outcomes and events.
Imagination is not about ‘proof or logic’ it’s about exploration
Imagination taps into our deepest Inner Being or Inner Self for solutions to current problems. It does not rely upon the logical, conscious mind to solve problems alone. The person who utilizes imagination for creative problem solving – and this includes creatively designing the lifestyle they want for themselves – has a huge advantage over someone who simply rationalizes what they might have or do – or who tries to figure out the “next logical step” to take.
Imagination is different to logical thinking. However, imagination has its own “logic” (or system). Its just that we don’t understand the system at a logical, conscious mind level. The activity occurs at a deeper level.
For example, although we don’t understand how our bodies perform countless essential activities (e.g. metabolism, blood circulation, digestion, tissue repair, healing, conception and so on), we do at least realize than without this unseen support system, we would not be able to function effectively in daily life. If we had to deal with these kinds of processes at a conscious level we would be totally over-loaded with data and decision-making in every waking second. We would never get around to enjoying our life or planning for our future!
Yet ironically, when we DO become overloaded, overwhelmed or “burnt out” – from trying to solve problems logically – we don’t make the connection that perhaps we are using the wrong mental tool or approach! Instead we often work even harder and feel even more overwhelmed.
Access vast reserves and resources using your imagination
However, this doesn’t have to happen. We can access vast reservoirs of data and knowledge without having to consciously track everything – simply by learning to use our imagination effectively. This post can only touch on this incredibly important and exciting faculty we have at our disposal – our imagination.
Imagination comes from that same unseen or unknown domain that supports us physically. Imagination accesses, triggers and develops our mental, emotional and psychic abilities.
The technique of ‘creative visualization’ is one technique that, in a simplified way, taps into the powerhouse available within imagination. Many sports people use the technique in their training. Hopefully they generalize its application to other areas of their lives.
I hope this has got you thinking about how you can begin to deliberately engage your imagination for problem-solving as well as for generating exciting or new life style choices.
Technorati Tags: 6 thinking hats, developing creativity, power of mind, using imagination, vision
Posted: October 27th, 2008 under imagination, power of mind, self help.
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