Spirituality

The Power of Imagination-Bring Your Dreams to Light

Do you remember the days, as a young child, when you could sit in your room for hours all by yourself as long as you had your imagination to play with? Or, can you recall, as a teenager, having grandiose fantasies about how you were going to become world-renowned for your innovative contributions to the planet? Or, maybe you remember a time when you were the ultimate optimist and everyone else seemed so unnecessarily pessimistic?

If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions– you were in-tune with your imagination! Whether it came in the form of having make-believe friends, visualizing your future, or creating fictional stories about traveling to faraway places with your BFF– you were implementing the power of your imagination. Sadly, however, many of us grow to suppress our natural inclination to enjoy the playground of daydreaming without restrictions. Because of harsh parenting, societal judgments, experiencing trauma, or having your dreams squashed over and over again, you, like millions of other people, may have become dismissive of your dreams, maybe even cynical about life or your future.

Well, it’s time to interrupt this negative feedback loop and get back in touch with your inner world of play and imagination! Don’t know how to get started? Try the following:

1. Dream big-but accept that all your dreams won’t come true. While some people seem to be born with a silver spoon handed to them, most of us have to work hard at turning a dream into reality. But remember, you can’t make a dream reality if you don’t have any to start with.
2. Dreams don’t have to be grandiose. Rather, they can be practical and achievable. For instance, if your savings plan does not afford you that 50- foot yacht you’ve been eyeing your entire life–you might consider revising your fantasy to something more doable. Maybe you could save enough to charter a smaller boat with a few friends for a week, or you could volunteer to be crew on someone else’s boat– just to get the experience.
3. Pick something tangible to work toward. Break a big dream down into manageable parts. If you hope someday to have a million dollars, take steps everyday toward saving money. While maybe you’ll get lucky and find a winning lottery ticket, more than likely you’ll need to work to earn your pot of gold.
4. Sometimes, just allow a dream to remain a fantasy with no expectation of it ever becoming reality. Imagining positive experiences can boost the release of certain neurotransmitters in our brain associated with happy feelings. Just thinking about lying on the beach on a tropical island when you’re feeling stressed out can have a calming effect (unless of course, you hate the sun and have a fear of drowning J).
5. Interrupt catastrophic thinking as quickly as possible. There is no quicker way to turn a dream into a nightmare than by killing it off with dark thoughts. If you are traveling down a negative-thought highway, imagine a stop sign in your head and make a U-turn towards more positive thoughts.
6. Visualize a bubble around your dreams to protect from negativity around you. The world at large is not always so friendly toward dreamers. Sometimes it’s best to keep our dreams to ourselves. Those around us who tend to be highly pessimistic, envious of others, or fearful of taking any risks, will often attempt to quell any dreams we may be enjoying. If you encounter a dream-wrecker, don’t let him or her stop you from dreaming. Don’t personalize the negativity and refrain from sharing your visions with this person. Instead, share with someone who encourages and supports you!

So go ahead and make space in your daily life for imaginary play. While this challenge might be easier for parents of young children to fulfill, keep in mind that it’s possible to play in our minds at any age.

Happy daydreaming!