Skip to content

Imagination the ultimate creative power

I was just about to launch into the coda for Suspicious Minds when the phone rang. I considered ignoring it but thought otherwise. I told the audience to “hang loose” as it was probably my mother calling. When I lifted the receiver and said hello, it was her voice on the other end.

“When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive thinking.” — Albert Einstein, German-born theoretical physicist

I was just about to launch into the coda for Suspicious Minds when the phone rang. I considered ignoring it but thought otherwise. I told the audience to “hang loose” as it was probably my mother calling. When I lifted the receiver and said hello, it was her voice on the other end.

“It’s nearly nine o’clock,” she said.

I looked at my watch. “Eight forty-five.”

“Close enough,” she replied. “Wrap up the concert.”

I felt a twinge of embarrassment at the comment.

“And check on the cows before you leave the barn.”

“I will.” I hung up the phone and switched off the radio.

Our dairy barn was like most from that time with one exception; our barn had an enormous green radio on a shelf by the door.

My father used it to keep the cows content during overnight stays — usually in winter. Father preferred the cows be serenaded by tunes from the local country radio station but I favoured the Top 40 hits.

More than just listening to the radio, I imagined I was a rock star, belting out tunes to the bemusement of a cud-chewing audience of Holsteins.

Imagination has been called the ultimate creative power.

In fact, Albert Einstein went so far as to say that imagination was more important than knowledge. I have come to believe that the effective engagement of imagination is a key contributor to success in every area of our life.

But what is imagination? I know some people who think imagination is something children indulge in with flights of fantasy. These same people would likely declare that we must relinquish our imagination as we enter adulthood and that the switch that fires the imagination should be left firmly in the off position with a big “do not touch” sign posted next to it.

Wiktionary provides us with this definition: the imagination, also called the faculty of imagining, is the ability of forming mental images, sensations and concepts, in a moment when they are not perceived through sight, hearing or other senses.

I believe the imagination is a component of our super-conscious or higher mind. An interesting aspect of the super-conscious mind is its ability to accept as true any thought or image that is persistently held by the imagination. The super-conscious mind does not judge nor can it discern the difference between real and imagined events.

People throughout history have engaged their imaginations by using a technique called creative visualization. Essentially, imagining a scene in your mind as though it were real and already accomplished sets the mind in motion to make it real.

Here is the key: instead of pretending that you’re viewing some future or fanciful event, you must imagine that you are already experiencing the event in the present.

Do so with all of your emotions engaged. What do you see? What do you feel? What do you hear? What does it smell like? Try it!

Need to make a speech? Imagine yourself delivering a powerful and compelling address. Want to lose weight? Imagine yourself slim and trim. Imagine it and make it happen! There’s an expression that I use in both my teaching and counselling: as you imagine, so shall it become true. We become what we think about most of the time. What have you imagined as true or possible for yourself?

A well-known study on creative visualization in sports involved a group of Russian scientists and four groups of Olympic athletes.

The first group engaged 100 per cent in physical training. The second group invested 75 per cent of its time in physical training and 25 per cent in creative visualization, mentally seeing a winning scenario. The third group: half physical and half mental training. The fourth group performed only 25 per cent physical training and 75 per cent mental training. Much to the surprise of the scientists, the fourth group performed the best.

By changing our thoughts and mental images, we can change our reality. We are not employing some mystical or little known secret here to create or change our life and circumstances. Imagination is a power we all possess. The power of imagination shapes our world.As an exercise, choose something about your life that you would like to change or improve.

Find a comfortable spot, close your eyes, relax and imagine yourself currently in possession of whatever it is you desire. Don’t put any restrictions on it or shroud it with uncertainty. Remember, no one is going to judge your visualization. Only you have the power to discourage its realization. I use this technique often in therapy.

I ask people to imagine themselves already in possession of what they most desire. If it’s a desire to stop smoking, I tell people to see themselves as a healthy, confident, non-smoker.

If the issue is body image and weight, I ask them to imagine themselves at their ideal weight wearing fashionable clothing, confident and attractive.

“Imagination is the beginning of creation,” wrote Irish dramatist and socialist George Bernard Shaw. “You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.”

As a kid on the farm, I used the power of my imagination to transport me to far-off places and grand adventures. Later on, I used that skill to enhance my ability to speak in public, to write, to perform and, ultimately, to envision myself possessing the self-esteem and confidence I had always desired. Imagine the life you desire and express that desire with your imagination.

Imagination is the foundation of creativity – the basis of both personal and professional growth – the genesis of every great accomplishment. Without imagination, you can wish, hope and yearn until the milk cows come home but nothing is likely to happen.

Murray Fuhrer is a local self-esteem expert and facilitator. His new book is entitled Extreme Esteem: The Four Factors. For more information on self-esteem, check the Extreme Esteem website at www.extremeesteem.ca