I love going to the movies to watch the previews of coming attractions. I enjoy the anticipation built into a well-crafted trailer sometimes more than the feature film (see www.traileraddict.com to get your daily fill!). Excitement about pending movies keeps me going to the movies more than the features – and this is the promoter’s goal.
Albert Einstein said: “Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.”
Our own visionary imagination is meant to work the same way – drawing us ever forward into the possibilities of life, its discoveries, joys, and adventures!
Humans are unique among creatures in many ways and one way is our ability to imagine. When life is unpleasant and times are tough, we need to cultivate our ability to imagine how life can get better. How?
Try three simple steps:
1. Cultivate asking excellent questions. Nicholas Lore suggests: “The quality of your life depends on the choices you make. Your choices stem from how well you answer fundamental questions about yourself and future.” As Frank Kingdomy says: “Questions are the creative acts of intelligence.”
2. Make a dream list. How do you know you’ll get what you want in life if you don’t identify what you desire, dream of and wish for? Make a long, crazy, free-wheeling list of all your dreams for the next decade. Prioritize it, work it regularly, cross off stuff you know you won’t make a real commitment to obtain, ask yourself: To what am I willing to make a firm commitment to achieve, have and/or experience.
3. Commit. Commitment is the biggest challenge in our society right now – everybody is tentative. Don’t be! Make a promise to yourself to obtain your imaginatively previewed life and start going. Go back to step one of this list and question, question, question. Set specific and attainable goals that will act as road-markers guiding you into future action – and follow up!
4. Write your “trailer.” Write a quick paragraph in present tense English describing your preferred future as if it were a script for an exciting movie trailer. Read, review and rewrite it often. Make it your practical ‘goal synopsis’ and internalize it until you’ve memorized it. Keep moving forward!
Working this three-step process consistently is a simple but profound way to get your imagination into high-gear and get your dreams into motion!
BLOG: createbeyondreason.wordpress.com