#51: Imagination
«Can you imagine?»
That can be a tough one to answer if you have never experienced anything close to what the person asking the question has in mind.
I keep saying that my imagination is my biggest limiting factor. How can I aim for anything that I can’t possibly imagine?
So if imagination was the ability to form pictures in your mind, what would we call anything beyond imagination?
Interestingly, the expression «by any stretch of imagination» has the meaning of not being true. It is almost the equivalent of «negative imagination», which would be fair to call a lie.
In mathematical terms, the number zero represents reality as we experience it, all positive numbers exceed reality whereas negative numbers deny that very same reality.
The way we are introduced to the universe of numbers in primary school is a possible approach how to develop our imagination.
Do you remember how you started off with all single digit numbers plus ten? Once you felt comfortable calculating up to ten, your teacher would expand the «universe» to one hundred. And from there it would continue to one million before you are «released to mathematical infinity».
How to adapt that to imagination?
Start by painting simple pictures diverting only slightly from how you see reality. You then continue from there. The same way you made mathematics tangible by counting beans and coins, you need to start experiencing what you are sketching in your mind.
Experiences are the key to developing your imagination.
What can be a possible trap in expanding your imagination is the so called «hot-cold empathy gap». It is challenging to imagine hunger after you have eaten. How can you have empathy for someone freezing when you sit in a comfortably heated living room?
The only way to overcome these gaps would be to expose yourself to an experience that challenges your basic understanding of comfort and abundance.
Let’s close with my personal «how to guide» on sparking your imagination through new experiences:
1. Make new acquaintances, ideally from a different cultural, ethnic or professional background.
2. Read a non-fiction book on a subject you are unfamiliar with.
3. Try a new cuisine.
4. Pick a new holiday destination, preferably exposing you to a new language, culture and cuisine.
5. Listen to a new music style.
6. Sign up for events known for the quality of experience they provide to their attendees.
7. Or why not go for the «all-in-package»: Go to a conference in a foreign country where you meet new people and participate in workshops while enjoying a new cuisine, listening to local music and coming home with a new book in your suitcase!
The Do Lectures and The College of Extraordinary Experiences have clearly gone beyond sparking my imagination by transforming me into the person I am today.
Transformation resets reality for you as your new “point zero”. It gives you a new starting position where to explore new imaginary territory from.
