08/03/2014
08/03/2014
Happy Women's Day
Imagi-Nation
Have you ever wondered how children can sit through replay after replay of their favorite Lion King or Little Mermaid video? It amazes me that they'll voluntarily watch the same show every day without a single complaint or request for something new.
What's more amazing, though, is that adults do the very same thing with their days.
The majority of men and women play "movies" in their heads again and again, relentlessly focusing on the review of past events, most of which are unpleasant and disturbing experiences that have come their way.
If they're actually able to stop their contemplation of past events, they allow impressions of their current surroundings and results to govern their lives. And, once in a while for variety's sake, they'll contemplate the future by either worrying about it, or daydreaming and wishing that something better might come along. And then they wonder why bad things keep happening to them, or why they never rise above the issues and obstacles in their lives.
Frankly, they would be better off watching The Lion King 40 times a day - because at least then, they'd be immersed in a creative and upbeat, positive process. See, most people have never learned how to "program" creative and upbeat "movies" in their heads because they've never been taught the value of creative visioning and purposeful thinking.
If you doubt me, listen to the varied conversations going on around you. Sadly enough, I can readily predict that you'll hear a Dante's nightmare of disconnected thoughts with very little effort put forth in carrying on a purposeful (much less positively-minded) conversation. While it is true that people are free to think anything they please, as long as they remain set in their ways, there is very little that can be done to change the unpleasant experiences that keep cropping up in their lives.
There is, however, a strong movement that is stirring the multitudes into a new conception of living. The study of the mind - and its veritable unearthly power - is at last taking its proper place in modern civilization. Proper use of the mind and its various faculties will give you anything you choose - but the emphasis here is on the word "proper." To move in this favored direction requires study and focused, consistent effort ... with a good measure of creative juices stirred in.
In the classic movie, Miracle on 34th Street, Kris Kringle tells young Susie Walker she can become whatever she chooses through the aid of her imagination. Kris went on to explain, the "Imagi-Nation" is a place we can all go ... just like the British nation or the French Nation.
Although this may seem a cute line from a movie, it's also a very healthy way to view the imagination.
Your mind is a place you can purposely go to. And FREE WILL is your passport. No one is ever refused entry. There are no borders or limits put on the size of what can be built. And best of all, it's a universal nation that allows all of us citizenry!
Just as the oak tree develops from the gene that lies within the acorn, and a bird develops from the gene that lies asleep in the egg, so too will your achievements grow from the organized plans that first begin with your imagination. An image in your mind is the first stage of the creative process in life. From your imagination your visions and plans arise.
In his best selling book, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill wrote, "You will never have a definite purpose in life; you will never have self confidence; you will never have initiative and leadership unless you first create these qualities in your imagination and see yourself in possession of them." He went on to say that, "... imagination is the most marvellous, miraculous, inconceivably powerful force the world has ever known."
Now, let's use our imagination and start to build a picture. I want to introduce you to an interesting concept that I have taught in my seminars for years. If you grasp this concept to the fullest, you can BE, HAVE or DO anything your heart desires ... and I mean anything.
I want to talk about Fantasy - Theory - Fact. The premise underlying this concept is that everything has its origination in the form of Fantasy, which some adventurous soul dared turn into a theory and then became bold enough to turn into a fact. The entire transition, of course, is the result of the highest form of positive thinking, concentration and what could very easily be construed as erratic behavior.
Give this serious thought for a moment. The idea of moon landings, communicating by email, traveling on jets, cellular phones or wearing synthetic garments was, a very short time ago, sheer fantasy. Today, they are considered commonplace. How did that happen? Well let's take a few moments and give it some thought.
This entire cosmos is filled with thought stuff - a creative form of energy. Your marvelous mind has factors that you can, with little effort, develop to use to improve the quality of life, not just for yourself, but for human kind. Imagination is one of those creative faculties.
The individuals who were responsible for the conception and creation of the email, cell phones and any of the thousands of modern conveniences we enjoy today had a highly developed imagination. Furthermore, they were not easily influenced by the opinions of the masses, the naysayers who historically have criticized and ridiculed anything they do not understand. These pioneers used their mental faculties to fantasize, to build wild and wonderful pictures in their mind. Then, holding their thought with their will, they began to watch their fantasy unfold into a theory and then into fact. They seemed to have an innate awareness that if they could visualize it, they could do it.
Hence, the fantasy was turned into a theory followed by thoughts of how they could, not why they couldn't. That is how we got out of the cave and into the condominium.
Let your mind play. Fantasize a much better form of life than you presently enjoy. Try it - you'll like it! Draft your future with imagination, ponder and calculate with intelligence and awareness, then knit it carefully with care.
Your mental growth or development will determine what the future holds for you. Go to your mental nation and build a beautiful picture of where you want to find yourself one year from today. Then, devise paths and find tools to help get you there.
A few ideas:
• Design an effective program for your own personal development.
• Build a worthwhile library.
• Make a list of 12 good books you will read and refer to - one each month.
• Select programs that will help you understand the awesome powers you possess and how to utilize those powers in practical ways to improve the quality of your life.
• Commit to reaching new goals. The only barrier separating you from your goal is ignorance - ignorance of how simple ... and simply powerful ... your mind really is.
• Replace the ignorance with knowledge. And replace your old movies with the movies you've always wanted to write - they're there, just waiting for you in your Imagi-Nation.
Use your imagination!
