Dream Again: Use Your Imagination to tap into your Potential

Today I spend some time talking about the imagination many of us packed away in the name of being “responsible,” and why real living still needs dreaming.  Listen in while I  share about the small signs that pulled me back toward piano, painting, and playful athletic visions, and your challenge is            to revive one forgotten joy this week. 

LLSS Gems:
• the moment we realize dreaming got shelved in adulthood 
• why responsibility can burn out creativity and energy 
• signing up for piano lessons and returning to music 
• reviving painting as a way to quiet the world 
• using playful tennis visualization to fuel confidence 
• a practical challenge to dust off one old dream 

So here's my challenge for you this week. What have you put on that shelf? What dried-up paintbrushes, dreams, imagination, what dusty instrument or forgotten dream that has been waiting quietly for you to come back to can you release this week? Just give it some thought and give it a little room to breathe. Go ahead, take that lesson. Sign up for cooking classes, pick up a brush to paint, dust off your sneakers, maybe even a pickle ball court might be waiting for you. 

Until next time. Keep Shining!

Transcript

Welcome And Framing The Story

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Hey there, storytellers. Welcome back to Long Life Short Stories where we dive into the moments that make life well life. I'm your host, Darcelle Diller Sweet. Thank you for listening. Today I want to talk about something that I think a lot of us quietly put away a long time ago. Just like those old sweaters, some of our favorite pieces of clothing that we just tuck away in the closet and we forget about them. So that little something that I'm talking about now is our imagination, our ability to dream, create with our mind, and release that untapped energy called dreaming again. Your imagination. Now, somewhere along the way, many of us got the message that dreaming was for children, that being a responsible adult meant being practical, staying in your lane, not letting too much get in the way of being an adult who's doing what they have to do every day. And so we listened. And sadly, many of us folded up our dreams, put them on that shelf, and got with the business of just living our life as an adult. It can burn us out. But here's what I've been sitting with lately. What if the business of really living requires us to dream? Be with that for a minute. When's the last time you just dreamt about something you really wanted to do? And you put your imagination to it. I'm also talking to myself. Because lately, life has been sending me some very clear little signals and reminders that my imagination is calling me. So guess what? It took a dear friend of mine who casually mentioned that she had just started piano lessons, yeah, piano lessons, to make me think about, huh? I used to play the piano. I used to love it in my younger years, and I miss it terribly. So my friend tuned into my love for music by just dropping that. Specifically the beauty of the piano. But somewhere between life getting full, me doing that adult thing, the days getting busy, I just drifted away from it. But hearing her excitement about her lessons made me realize plunking on those keys again would bring me nothing but sheer joy. So I've decided I'm gonna sign up for some piano lessons too. And guess what? Get really reacquainted with the piano. The dusty one sitting in my living room will get a tune up this week, and lessons, y'all, are on the way. And then I walk past my paint brushes. Now, y'all, those brushes have been sitting in a box all dried up for years, and I have been walking past them like they're invisible, but not anymore. It's time to give them some love too. Get them back in shape, rinse them off, and let me spread some color on a canvas again and bring my imagination back in tune with that part of my inner energy. Painting also made me feel so accomplished. It quieted out the noise of the world and gave me a chance to look inside and be creative and see what I can put on that canvas and release those dreams into my art. Wow, can't wait to paint again. Now, there's one more thing I wanted to do with all my heart and use my imagination to get me there, and that is I can imagine myself playing tennis just as brilliantly as Coco Golf. And now, look at me at the US Open. Do you see me? Do you see me? I see me. But in my mind on that court, I'm giving Coco, Serena, and the fastest server in the women's game, Miss Alicia Parks, some old school competition. Y'all go girls, I see y'all. And know what? And you know what? I'm there. That vision, that joy, that playful belief, that imagination, that counts for something. That creative energy I'm releasing is gonna help me stay on that court and feel good about my game, even though I'm not as good as them. Guess what, folks? Here's what I know to be true. Creativity isn't just for artists. Imagination isn't just for the young. Trying something new or something old that once made your soul sing isn't about just being talented. You have to be willing and want to do that thing, that one thing that keeps you dreaming and gets you back into the world imagination to do it. So here's my challenge for you this week. What have you put on that shelf? What dried-up paint brushes, dreams, imagination? What dusty instrument or forgotten dream that has been waiting quietly for you to come back to can you release this week? Just give it some thought and give it a little room to breathe. Go ahead, take that lesson. Sign up for cooking classes, pick up a brush to paint, dust off your sneakers, maybe even a pick-aball court might be waiting for you. Walk. Walk another mile instead of just one, go for five this time. Imagine yourself being accomplished as an athlete. Whatever it is. Do that this week. You might surprise yourself, and that feeling of I didn't know I still had this in me is one of the most alive feelings there is. So that's our story today, storytellers. My friends out there, remember life is made up of these beautiful, seemingly small moments, and sometimes the smallest one, like saying yes to something that once made you light up, can open up a whole new world for you. A whole new world you didn't even know was still waiting for you. So go ahead and dream it. Imagine it, and as Nike says, just do it. Until next time, keep living, keep loving, and keep being your best self. I'm Darcy Aldola Sweet. Signing off, this has been Long Life Short Story.