The Power to Create Your Reality
You are Only Limited by Your Imagination
My friend, let’s discuss the profound power of imagination. How many times have we heard people dismissively say “Oh, it’s only his imagination”? But you must understand – a person’s imagination is their very essence. No one lacks imagination entirely, but few have taken the time and effort to truly discipline and master their imagination. Imagination itself is indestructible – and therein lies both the incredible potential and the inherent danger of its misuse.
Look around you, even as we speak. We pass by strangers every day, muttering to themselves on the street, carrying on imaginary arguments with people not physically present. In their minds, they are arguing with resentment, fear, and hatred. But they fail to grasp that through this misuse of their imagination, they are setting in motion unpleasant events and circumstances that will inevitably manifest in their reality before long.
You see, the world we each experience is truly shaped and molded by our imagination, not merely physical facts. Those who are overly literal-minded and concrete in their perception are the ones living in an illusory, fictitious world. Only our imagination can restore us to paradise, the state of grace, from which our negative experiences have exiled us.
Imagination is the sense, the faculty, by which we perceive the highest truths and transform our visions into tangible reality. Every significant stage of human progress, from the first spark of a great invention to the birth of a new art form, has happened through the focused exercise of imagination.
The reason our attempts sometimes yield uncertain or unsatisfactory results is simply that we do not perfectly employ and believe in the power of our imagination. When we vividly imagine something and simultaneously believe in it completely, our intended results must inevitably manifest in alignment. Focused, determined, disciplined imagination is the starting point for all successful endeavors, no matter how grand.
Imagination alone allows us to fulfill our intentions and make our desires a reality. The individual who has trained themselves to call up any mental image at will, by virtuously exercising their powerful imagination, is largely free from the whims of circumstance and caprice. Even a prisoner confined in solitary can, through the intensity of their imagination and vibrancy of their feelings, influence and affect multitudes – acting through many people and speaking through many voices.
We should never assume that subtle shifts in cultural mindsets or societal norms did not originate from something as seemingly small as a few women treading grapes in a winepress, having a moment of realization. Or a young shepherd boy, eyes briefly alight with inspiration before he ran along his way, carrying that seed of a new idea within his imagination.
Let me give you a personal example that powerfully illustrates these truths about imagination…a dear friend who worked as a costume designer at the prestigious Radio City Music Hall in New York City. One day, she came to me distressed about the difficulties she was having working with one of the producers on the show. This producer, she explained, would invariably and unjustly criticize her finest work, rudely rejecting her costume designs in a way that seemed deliberately unfair and insulting.
When I heard her story, I reminded her of this key principle that I am sharing with you now: Other people can only mirror back to us what we are imagining and inwardly confirm them, even if we are not fully conscious of it.
I told my friend, I have no doubt that on some level, you have been silently arguing and inwardly fighting with this producer, holding imaginary conversations raging against his mistreatment of you. She admitted that yes, that was exactly the case – each morning on her walk to the theatre, she would replay criticisms and insults from the producer, fighting back against him in her mind’s eye.
So I instructed my friend the costume designer to completely change the inner imagery and dialogue she was having related to the producer. Instead of imagining him berating her work, I told her to begin vividly picturing him praising her costume designs effusively. To see him congratulating her on her brilliant creativity and talent, and thanking her profusely for bringing such wonderful visuals to the show.
I said to her, “Each morning on your walk to the theatre, I want you to imagine every detail. See the warm smile on the producer’s face as he shakes your hand. Hear the sincerity and admiration in his voice as he compliments your work. Allow yourself to feel the flush of pride and gratitude as you humbly accept his praise, thanking him for his generous support.”
At first, my friend had a hard time embodying these new imaginal acts. Her mind kept drifting back to the old critical storyline with the producer, as that was the well-worn habit. But I encouraged her to persist, with unwavering consistency, in planting and nurturing these new mental seeds each day.
And my dear friend witnessed the results in a remarkably short time. Within a couple of weeks, she told me something amazing – the producer’s behavior towards her had completely turned around! The same man who had been so cold, dismissive, and unfairly critical before, now sincerely celebrated her work. He enthusiastically approved her costume designs, praising her creativity, and saying she was a tremendous talent.
You see, her unwavering use of disciplined imagination had completely restructured her experience of reality. By consistently imagining and inviting praiseworthy behavior from the producer, she had penetrated the core of the situation. She had affirmed and defined a new pattern of respectful admiration between them. His behavior was simply mirroring back to her the new thoughts and imaginal acts she had persisted in creating.
The outer world was simply conforming to the precise inner paradigms and assumptions she had seeded within her consciousness. Her new vividly imagined experience had become the new reality she encountered. Just as day follows night, the effects followed her committed inner cause.
This is the way it works in every area of our lives. We are not merely passive observers of circumstances but are actively defining, shaping, and molding our lived experience through our imagination – whether we do so consciously or unconsciously.
So my advice to you is this: Never underestimate or take for granted the immense creative power of your imagination! Whatever you visualize and sincerely feel yourself into, you will one day encounter and begin to objectively experience your outer reality. Your imagination is the master designer, the architect through which you paint the landscapes of your life.
So from this day forward, make a firm commitment to yourself. Decide to take full ownership and creative direction over your imagination and inner processes. Don’t merely allow your mind to mindlessly dramatize fears, hurts, resentments, or perceived limitations from the past. These are all stale mental habits that only re-create stagnant realities of lack, struggle, and confinement.
Instead, choose to become a disciplined, masterful dreamer – vividly imagining new patterns of growth, love, abundance, and freedom for yourself and those around you. See it, feel it, and experience it fully on the level of imagination first. And have unwavering faith and patience as you await the miraculous new experiences your commitment will birth.
You are a being of awesome, creative power, endowed with the divine gift of imagination. Start deliberately, consciously shaping your life and circumstances through focused, intentional imagining each day. Ten minutes of truly disciplined and faithful imagination is more life-changing than a thousand vacant hours of doubting and perceiving yourself as limited.
So go forth, and cheerfully become the architect and designer of your highest visions! Imagination is the way to make the invisible visible, and the unreal real. Realign your imagination with your true desires and most elevating ideals, and that new reality will solidify around you.
Trust the process, apply it diligently and you will reap the most bounteous of harvests from the fertile soils of your imagination…
