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Sunday, August 17, 2008

Inspired by Michael Phelps - The Power of Imagination

"Nothing is impossible, with so many people saying it couldn't be done, all it takes is an imagination, and that's something I learned and something that helped me."
Michael Phelps (on winning his eighth gold medal)

Imagination….a gift…a tool… an innate ability…it is what allows us to see what has yet to exist…it’s power can aid us in being limitless or limited in our thoughts and actions…


Why are we so afraid of our imagination...do we automatically imagine the worst of any given situation? Can we work to redirect…to envision the best of the best. What if when we were faced with a situation and our minds went directly to worst case scenario we merely acknowledged that possibility than allowed our imaginations free reign to explore all of the potential positive outcomes and ways to accomplish them? Many of us have harnessed our imaginations to not only keep us from seeing possible negative possibilities, but from also from seeing the great potential of success, for fear that we will not achieve them and can’t bear to be letdown.


If our thoughts are our reality...can we better deploy our imagination to create our world of choice…to create our life of choice? I believe we can…I believe if we can envision a life of peace…a world of peace, than we can stretch our imaginations and find the solutions needed to take us there.


So action item for today…embrace your imagination…give it the freedom to take you where you want to be. Sit for a moment and indulge in free thought…ask yourself how you would like to live your life…let your mind go…no parameters...no stopping yourself because “that could never happen” or “you are thinking to big...to grand” let your thoughts just go and enjoy the ride. Life is full of possibilities...and our imaginations are the keys to achieving them.
Suzi

8 comments:

LITeacher said...

Thank you for your inspiration! I was feeling a little sorrowful but I feel a little more inspired now.
I have joined your group and would love some imput from you on my blog. I would also like to place your blog as a link on my blog. I really think that we all need to spread more peace. As Mother Teresa would say "I'll never attend a war rally, but if you have a peace rally I'll be the first to attend." I'm not sure I quoted her correctly but you get the idea and I embrace it.
Maureen :)
http://healourlives.blogspot.com

John Burnham said...

Opportunities for free thought are typically weighed down if not totally obliterated by what I'd call the-next-thing-to-do syndrome. At least that's how it is for me. Only a walk on the beach, a bike ride, or roller blade seems to create that freedom for me. And then so quickly it's gone. I wouldn't say this depresses me day to day because life is fascinating, interesting, always an opportunity in itself, but if I think about it for a while, I feel hemmed in.

MP's advantage, I suppose, is he imagined something when he was quite young leading him down a single track and, well-supported, he stayed with it. That's not the norm in this world.

Suzi said...

liteacher,
I am glad that you could find inspiration in my blog…I have just read yours and I’m sure there are many people that have found peace in your writings as well. As we strive for peace...world peace or inner peace it can often be overwhelming such a daunting goal, but we just have to remember that if we can reach out to even one person, help lighten their load and make their life a more pleasant one, we have done a great service…because that person will approach their life with an uplifted spirit and that spirit is contagious. So one day at a time...Bring Peace…as you are through your writing.
Thanks, Suzi

Suzi said...

John,
That is for so many of us our lives…we go through the steps and as wonderful as the steps may be they can consume our conscious thoughts, leaving little time for free random, purposeless thought. Do you think this is a wise trade off?
Have we somehow misjudged the value of contemplative though, placing other sometimes rather mundane activities above it? How would our lives differ if time for thought were as intrinsic as say eating or sleeping…do you think we would have evolved more as a race, seen greater advances in art, medicine, technology? I don’t know…I’ll have to go and think about it! Suzi

Unknown said...

thanks for the inspiring article. really open my mind!

peace on earth!

http://bestwomancare.com/

Suzi said...

Hi Pasifik, Thanks for reading.
Peace to you as well!
Suzi

Rev. Julieanne Paige, O.M.C. said...

It was so interesting to read that Michael Phelps undeerstood the power of imagination. I was a swimmer when I was younger and coached by a long distance world record holder. I wonder if I had understood about imagination at that time...how much better I would have done? Great article!

Suzi said...

Julieanne,

Perhaps you did understand imagination...perhaps your imagination just took you in different directions. It is however quite impressive to hear someone of Michael’s age how understands the profound effect our imaginations can have on our lives. Suzi