Imagine if………

‘If what?’ I hear you thinking!

It’s up to you!………….This weeks reading on our MKMMA journey is Chapter 8 from the Masterkey System by Charles Haanel, which is all about the importance of imagination. Reading this chapter last year planted one of the seeds in my mind which eventually resulted in my new creativity courses.

Haanel says, ‘Imagination is a plastic power, molding the things of sense into new forms and ideals.’ (8:10) ‘Imagination is the constructive form of thought which must precede every constructive form of action.’ (8:11)

Have you ever given a young child a present at Christmas thinking they were going to love the gift you so carefully selected for them from the thousands of items on the toy self, only to feel a slight sense of frustration when they derived more pleasure from playing with the box it came in than the present itself! It can be a bit of a standing joke among parents, but have you stopped to consider why children often enjoy playing with the box rather than the actual toy? Imagination!!!

The toy, be it a car, doll, puzzle, or the latest toy trend, have all been created in a factory or workshop by someone else. Someone somewhere had to conceive the idea, design the toy, draw the toy and communicate the structure via plans to either a designer or engineer who then created the moulds and set the machines to produce the desired result. This may or may not then be finished by hand by someone else. I am sure the person who first thought of the toy took great pleasure from thinking the concept through and seeing the product of their imagination come into manifestation in the form of the plastic object you so lovingly purchased as a gift. So why doesn’t the child appreciate all the effort that has gone into this gift?   Imagination!!!

However, it’s not someone else’s imagination that fuels their mind and heart. It’s their OWN! A red car tends to be red car, a doll is a doll. But a cardboard box……hmmmm…… using their imagination can be a sports car, a hovercraft, a boat, a train, a space rocket, a house, a pirate ship, an underwater mermaid house……and on and on. In fact the box can be all these things on different days depending on the whim of the child, or until someone throws the box away! :o(

‘Imagination is the light by which we can penetrate new worlds of thought and experience’  (Haanel 8:9)  Sadly, as we grow up we lose that sense of excitement and wonder at indulging our imaginations. We often live fast paced lives with many of the things we want at the touch of a button these days. We leave little time to play, and yet this is exactly what we need to be doing to keep a sense of balance and calm.

Getting back in touch with our ‘inner child’ and just enjoying creating something fun or beautiful releases happy chemicals in our mind and body. It helps us destress, refocus and enjoy being the wonderful, imaginative human being we were all born to be. You are NEVER too old to play, you are never too wise to imagine.

‘…In order to cultivate the imagination it must be exercised. Exercise is necessary to cultivate mental muscle as well as physical muscle. It must be supplied with nourishment or it cannot grow.’ (Hannel 8:13)

‘Constructive imagination means mental labor, by some considered to be the hardest kind of labor, but, if so, it yields the greatest returns, for all the great things in life have come to men and women who had the capacity to think, to imagine, and to make their dreams come true.’ (Haanel 8:15) 

I used the lovely song ‘pure imagination’ from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in last years Week 8 post so decided to go for something different this time. Your imagination will take you where ever your want to go.

You can be what ever you want to be…….how do you want to be remembered ?