Lori Gouhin [00:32:00]:
Hello, my friends. I am so glad that you are here with me today, because today I want to talk about something that's super cool and incredibly powerful, and that's your imagination, because it shapes your reality and it can make your life way more awesome. So when I was little, I used to think that I could dig all the way to China and find treasure. And I would spend hours out back next to our big lilock bush, and I'd dig in the ground with a spoon. And I don't remember where the idea came from, if it was something my mom told me just to keep me busy outside. Or maybe the idea came from, I don't know, somewhere, someone else, maybe cartoons or something. But anyway, as I sat outside doing this, I would imagine what the treasure would look like, what the treasure chest would look like, where I would keep it, all the things. I used to also watch a show called I Dream of Genie.
Lori Gouhin [00:01:22]:
That was big when I was growing up. And I used to imagine what it would be like to be a genie and have all of my wishes at my command. And in the show, there was this evil character, and he was known as the blue gin. And I would mix up leaves and sticks and whatever else I could find to give as an offering to the blue gin. When I was imagining that I was a genie, and I would offer it to him under the guise of food. But in reality, in my imagination, it was a secret potion that would keep him from taking my genie powers. Also, when I was a young adult, I used to buy lottery tickets. I loved buying lottery tickets because I felt the dollar was so worth the imagination that it would create in me.
Lori Gouhin [00:02:03]:
I would just imagine what I would do with all that money, all the things I could buy, all the things I could help people with, all the things, right? And I would convince myself that I was going to win. I never did. But anyway, I digress. But what I was going to say is I find that today, both kids and adults often don't take the time or the opportunity to explore their imaginations. And in my opinion, that's a huge mistake. So let's talk about what exactly is imagination? Because it's more than just thinking about stuff that's not there. It's really this incredible ability of our mind to be able to explore and to create and experiment with ideas that are beyond the here and now. It lets us invent cool gadgets, solve tricky problems, and even experience things we've never actually seen or felt before.
Lori Gouhin [00:02:52]:
And guess what? When we imagine, it's like a whole bunch of areas in our brain are throwing a party together. And this is why we can think up such vivid and wild things and mix and match memories and come up with groundbreaking ideas. Throughout history, people have been fascinated by imagination. The ancient people thought it was like a hotline to the gods. And later on, artists, scientists, they used it to change the world, showing us new ways to see and to understand everything around us. I think of it as the secret ingredient behind every invention, artwork, and story. And one of my favorite authors is Neville Goddard. He was convinced that our imagination has the power to turn dreams into reality, and he believed that if you could see it in your mind and really feel it, you could make it happen in real life.
Lori Gouhin [00:03:38]:
Kind of like being a magician, where your wand is your imagination. And so why should we bother about boosting our imagination? Because it's a game changer. It helps us think outside the box, find cool solutions to problems, and connect with other people in more meaningful ways. Plus, it's your ticket to creating a life you're excited to wake up to every day. So let's talk about how imagination is literally the architect of your world. You know, how, as we said, every cool gadget, every song, every video game that you love, it all started as a tiny spark in someone's imagination. And it might sound far fetched, but imagination really is like your personal 3d printer for your mind and able to create a blueprint for reality. Have you ever been stuck on a problem and then out of nowhere, a wild idea pops into your head and solves it? That's your imagination in action.
Lori Gouhin [00:04:58]:
It's your brain's way of taking a detour, finding paths that you didn't even know existed. Whether it's for fixing something that's broken, planning a surprise party for someone, tackling a business problem. Your imagination, as I said before, is like your secret weapon. And I was on a call recently with another entrepreneur, and she was struggling to find ways to connect with her potential clients. She's in a fairly common niche, but because of her religion, as well as the religion of her potential clients, connecting with them isn't as easy as it is for some other people, because most of her clients are not online and do not have a smartphone, and some of them don't even have email. And so, in her case, finding clients requires taking off her so called blinders and fully utilizing her imagination to tap into where and how she can connect with these ideal clients. And your imagination also lets you be able to walk in someone else's shoes, so to speak. And for example, with that entrepreneur, she could walk in the shoes of those potential clients to kind of imagine where they might be or how she might be able to connect with them.
Lori Gouhin [00:05:54]:
And that's even just in your own mind. And this empathy can build bridges between us and reality, helping us to understand and connect with each other on a deeper level. It's how we get those aha. Moments when we truly get what someone else is feeling or experiencing. And you can also turn to your imagination if you're feeling stressed or down in the dumps. And let it be like a personal escape room, a space where you can explore, dream, and even heal. Because studies have shown that diving into creative activities or just daydreaming can seriously lower stress and boost your mood. Another cool thing is that your imagination plays a big part in who you are and who you become, because it helps you visualize your goals, dream about your future, and even explore different aspects of your personality.
Lori Gouhin [00:06:21]:
When you imagine your future self, what do you see? Because that vision can guide the steps that you take today. All right, so we've explored how imagination can light up our world, right? But here's the twist. Even with this superpower at our fingertips, sometimes we hit roadblocks. So let's figure out what these common roadblocks are and how we can overcome them. The first up would be your inner critic, the little voice that says your ideas aren't good enough or that you're just not a creative person. Spoiler alert. Everyone has these doubts, this inner critic, but it's about not letting it drive your car. Your imagination is like a muscle, so the more you use it, the stronger it gets, whether your critic's there or not.
Lori Gouhin [00:07:03]:
And then there's the fear of failure. And every great inventor or artist or thinker has failed at some point. And failure is not the opposite of success. It's actually a stepping stone towards it. It's really just part of the creative process. You ever find yourself scrolling through social media, comparing your creativity to everyone else's highlight reel? That's the comparison trap, and that's an imagination killer. So remember, your imagination is unique to you. And instead of comparing, let's focus on your path and celebrate your progress.
Lori Gouhin [00:07:41]:
Here's another big one, and I referred to it earlier, not having enough time or the right space to let your imagination run wild. I get it. Your life is busy. But creating space for your imagination doesn't mean that you need a fancy studio or endless free time. It's about making small moments count. So whether it's doodling while you're on a call or daydreaming on your commute. It's all beneficial when you're feeling overwhelmed or stressed. That can also dampen your imaginative powers.
Lori Gouhin [00:08:12]:
It's hard to be dreaming up new ideas when you're worried about a million little things. So find ways to manage your stress, like maybe mindfulness exercises. They can help clear the mental clutter. Give your imagination room to breathe, so to speak. In fact, I do some of my best imagining while I'm on a long walk. And last but not least, there are societal expectations. And sometimes the world tries to box us into what's quote unquote realistic or practical. And that makes it tough to let our imaginations fly.
Lori Gouhin [00:08:39]:
But remember, it's important to remind ourselves that many of the world's greatest achievements were once considered impossible dreams. So now we've talked a lot about why imagination is awesome, as well as some roadblocks to fully utilizing it. So how do we make the most out of all of this and everything else? I believe it starts with self awareness, and then it moves into action. So let's go back to Neville Goddard and his message that imagination creates reality. Think about that for a second. Everything around you, from the chair that you're sitting on, the screen that you're watching, it all started as a flicker in someone's imagination. He urges us to dream boldly and emphasizes that what we can conceive in our minds, we can achieve in our lives. And one of his teachings is based on what he refers to as the power of assumption.
Lori Gouhin [00:09:27]:
And it goes like this. Imagine you're already where you want to be, or that you have what you're already aiming for. How would you feel? What would you do? He says, to live from that feeling, assuming it's true, and watch your reality begin to shift. Because it's not just about wishful thinking. It's about aligning your belief system with your desires. And he believed, like many others, that feeling is the secret. So it's not enough just to think about your goals. You've got to feel them as if they're already yours.
Lori Gouhin [00:10:01]:
Joy, gratitude, excitement. These feelings are the language of the universe, and they tell it to get to work on making these dreams a reality when we're having those kind of feelings. He also says living in the end is another key to this. And instead of getting bogged down by the how and the when, just focus on the done deal. Visualize your goal as already accomplished. And by living in the end, as we said, you create a powerful magnetic pull that draws the reality closer to you step by unseen step. And I literally had this happen to me just yesterday. And I won't get into the details, but something I had been imagining for over six months actually presented itself to me yesterday.
Lori Gouhin [00:10:43]:
There was no prompting on my part. There were no conversations with anyone about it other than in my mind. And then voila was like magic. It was just presented to me as an opportunity almost exactly as I imagined. And another story I can tell you with more detail. It was four years ago today. Our middle daughter Sophia, was doing a study abroad in Gothenburg, Sweden. And that was right when things were starting to go crazy in the world, right? March of 2020, and she was scheduled to take a trip with her university, basically to the North Pole.
Lori Gouhin [00:11:10]:
When I looked at her on the map, on my tracking map, she was like, where Santa Claus lives, right? And it was a 24 hours bus ride from the university to where they were going to see the northern lights, to see reindeer, to go sledding. They went to an ICE hotel, all kinds of fantastic stuff. But I was really nervous for her to go because at this point, the world was starting to shut down. Certain countries were starting to eliminate travel. And I just was very stressed about her going on this trip. She wasn't worried at all. And at that point, Sweden, things were just going along as they had been. But sure enough, by the end of the week, things were quickly turning around, and she barely had time to take the 24 hours ride back to her university, get all of her stuff packed up, get herself to an airport, and get home.
Lori Gouhin [00:12:07]:
And that whole week, I had been like a crazy person trying to find flights for her, because I did not want to have them going through London or Paris or any of the major airports, because I knew they were getting backlogged. So I think I had her go from Gothenburg to Amsterdam to Atlanta, then finally to Myrtle beach. And the way that this imagining worked for me is that I just kept imagining her coming down the escalator at the Myrtle beach airport, and she would raise her hand up and say hello, because that was kind of Sophie's thing. When she'd come home from college, when I hadn't seen her or whatever, she'd always just put her hand up like a wave and say hello and then give me a big hug. And so that's what I just kept imagining over and over and over and over again. Picturing the exact escalator at the Myrtle beach airport, picturing her coming down, picturing her doing that, literally 24/7 it was the only way I could keep myself out of panic mode. And sure enough, the night she got in, she arrived at, like, midnight. We're standing there, the bottom of the escalator, my husband and I, and it happened exactly like I had imagined in my mind.
Lori Gouhin [00:13:10]:
She came down the escalator, she raised up her hand, and she yelled hello. And I had never been so happy in my whole life. But anyway, I just wanted to share another story that was realistic to me, and I really felt like I imagined the whole thing into reality. Neville also taught a technique called revision. And that's like having a mental time machine. So he said, if you've had a bad day or a setback in your imagination, at the end of the day, you can revise that and play it out the way that you wished it had been. And this practice isn't about denying anything or denying what actually happened. It's about reprogramming your subconscious to align with a more positive, desired outcome, and that'll influence your future experiences.
Lori Gouhin [00:13:57]:
And so how can you apply all of these principles to supercharge your imagination? I say start small. Pick one desire or one goal. Visualize it, feel it, and assume it's done. And practice living in the end. And use revision to transform any negative experiences that you've had. And again, it's like building a muscle. Constant practice will make it stronger and more effective. And I understand that in our hyperconnected world, solitude can sound like a luxury or even a challenge.
Lori Gouhin [00:14:28]:
Yet it's in those quiet moments that you're alone that your imagination can truly whisper to you. And you can also start a mindfulness or a meditation practice, like we talked about earlier. And it doesn't have to be daunting. Just begin with a few minutes each day. There's plenty of apps out there or online resources that can help you. The key is consistency. Like any skill, the more you practice, the better you get. And when you're faced with big decisions or small decisions, just tap into your imagination.
Lori Gouhin [00:15:01]:
Visualize each of the choices that you have. And how does each scenario make you feel? What unexpected paths might open up? Imaginative foresight can be a powerful guide into making choices that are aligned with your deeper desires and goals. You can integrate your imagination into your daily life, because when you integrate your imagination into your daily life, it's transformative. It's about seeing beyond the surface, asking what if? And allowing yourself to dream and explore, even in the quietest and smallest moments. And if you're faced with a challenge, use your imagination to do brainstorming. Write down as many solutions as you can think of, no matter how outlandish, like I talked about earlier with the entrepreneur that's having a hard time finding clients. And then imagine how each of those could work. And whether one works, some work, or none of them work, the goal is, or the point is that it opens your mind to solutions that you might have never even considered.
Lori Gouhin [00:15:58]:
And it encourages flexible and creative thinking. So maybe one of the ideas that you wrote down doesn't work, but all of a sudden, you'll think of something else. And remember, your imagination really can deepen your connection. So you could play imaginative games with your friends or your spouse or your partner, plan imaginative dates, give imaginative gifts. You could write a story together, each person adding a line to the story. Or you can imagine your life in a different country or in a different time period and talk about that. And when you share imaginative experiences like that, you just find out so much about each other and end your day, as we said before, with imaginative reflection, meaning. Look back on your day and imagine how it could have gone differently or better if it wasn't such a great day.
Lori Gouhin [00:16:52]:
And visualize the best version. Dream up a fantastical version, because this not only helps you to relax, but it'll also train your imagination to see endless possibilities in every moment. And also while you sleep, your mind can get to work on solving problems that you weren't able to solve during your waking hours. So remember your imagination. It's not just for artists or dreamers. It's a tool for everyone to enrich their daily lives. And by injecting your imagination into your everyday routines and your challenges and your relationships, you can transform the mundane into magical. Because every day holds the power for wonder and discovery.
Lori Gouhin [00:17:28]:
When you view it through this lens, imagination is more than just a creative outlet. It's a powerful tool for achieving your dreams. And by setting vivid goals, visualizing success, overcoming mental blocks, and taking inspired action, you can use your imagination to create a reality that matches your wildest dreams. So commit to making this a daily practice. Whether it's through meditation, creative projects, or simply asking, what if? More often? Find ways to keep your imaginative muscle strong and flexible, and I'll leave you with one more final thought. In the canvas of life, your imagination is the brush. You have the power to paint whatever future you desire. So dream big, stay curious, and never underestimate the power of your imagination to change your world.