Can you imagine beyond your circumstances? For anything new to be made visible in the world, it must first be seen in the mind. Your imagination is key to creativity, hope, and motivates your mind to direct your dreams into reality. I think of it as focused concentration. After all, you are the director of the movie of your life, and since you are the director, you can preview the coming attractions. The parts that don’t suit you can be edited or deleted, as you please.
Albert Einstein said this…
“Imagination is everything.
It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.
Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Never give up on what you really want to do.
The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts.”
Do you have big dreams? I hope you do. Giving up on our dreams or purpose can put us on a less than ideal path. I have many dreams, and I want to share a personal one with you. Since I was young I envisioned visiting Europe. I grew up, and later married the love of my life. We enjoyed traveling to England and Paris, (Oh là là) but had never been to Italy. Years later…we took 4 weeks to travel back to England, Paris, and on to Italy. When we stepped off the overnight train from Paris to Venice, I stood in awe. It felt surreal – a dream come true, everything I had imagined, and more. We walked Venice for three days. These are the first two photos I took in Venice.
Next, we took a train to Florence. A week was too short – I fell in love with this city. Firenze felt familiar to my soul, like I was home. The point is, our dreams can broaden our perspective, and spark our imagination for adventure. Each ‘first’ visit to these locations, which are all quite different and unique, hold special memories for me. My husband and I imagine living in Europe part of the year in the future…and so we shall! Henry David Thoreau said, “The world is but a canvas to the imagination.”
In an article on how imagination and reality look different in the brain, I quote “According to research, it turns out that reality and imagination flow in different directions in the brain. The visual information from real events that the eyes see flows “up” from the brain’s occipital lobe to the parietal lobe, but imagined images flow “down” from the parietal to the occipital. Visit this link if you are interested in more in depth information on this topic.
Trust in, and feed the fire of your dreams. Create your reality and live your dreams to the fullest. Our imagination gives us wings that can take us everywhere we wish to go.
Some of my favorite quotes on Imagination:
“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will.” – George Bernard Shaw
“Imagination is the true magic carpet.” – Norman Vincent Peale
“But, I nearly forgot, you must close your eyes otherwise you won’t see anything.” – Lewis Carroll
“The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment.” – Tony Robbins
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, and live the life you have imagined.” – Henry David Thoreau
Debra, you are speaking my language; manifestation, imagination and travel. I love dreaming up places to go and then visiting someplace new. I, like you, create wonderful special memories each time. As an added bonus my creativity is given an extra boost. Thanks for sharing your adventure, great pictures! xx
Seems we are like minded Lisa. Travel opens up a new world for imagination and activates the senses – as you say, creativity is a bonus! xx
What a great story! Favorite Husband and I have imagined and created many wonderful ‘happenings’ in our time together. We’re currently working on a European creation with one of our sons. It will be wonderful.
Thank you Andrea. Imagining these ‘happenings’ is fun, expands our horizons and Europe is amazing. Enjoy your adventure with your family!
I love the quotes on Imagination, Debra. Life without the ability to use our imagination would become stagnant. Part of what motivates me to achieve my goals is imagining the end results if I work at my tasks.
Quotes are like condensed wisdom – there is much to love about them. Imagination is the start of everything that can take us all the way to the end result. Cheers Vatsala!
Travel expands horizons of the heart, mind, eyes, and soul. At least that’s been my experience. From one dreamer and world traveler to another! xo
Cheers to you Tara and thank you for your comment. Never stop dreaming! xo
“But, I nearly forgot, you must close your eyes otherwise you won’t see anything.” – Lewis Carroll
Love this quote. I feel this way a lot. To the point where I have to force myself to open my eyes and appreciate the beauty in the physical world as much as I appreciate the solitude, comfort and vibrancy of my imagination.
I agree Ana, this is a great quote and says it all. It is a good reminder to look at the world around us that is filled with possibilities and adventure!
I imagined the home I wanted to live in … and it appeared via an email someone sent me about a cute apartment they saw online that I might be interested in. That kind of thing happens to me often.
How wondrous Barb – I call it pre-paving. I am thrilled this happens often for you – Bravo!
Love your quotes. Dreaming (or imagination) is so essential to living a full life. I imagined my husband before I met him, with a lot of details and that’s what I got. I imagined travelling around the world – not focusing on the how but on the experience and that’s what I got.
I believe that we get what we ask for. Just be sure that it’s what you really want.
Again, love your quotes.
TYSM Claudette. I also imagined my husband before meeting him…details as well, and trust me – I have never been disappointed. It’s wonderful to have pre-paved our future, isn’t it? You are right, be sure to ask for what you really want. I resonate with your words!
Debra I love this blog and your encouragement to dream! I had always dreamed of taking my family to Maui and when we landed there last December it was truly a dream come true! Before we left we scheduled our next vacation there in August and this time we are bringing my daughters’ boyfriends and my in laws. Imagination is the creative process of choosing our future! Thank you for all the quotes! My favorite quote is “Imagination is the true magic carpet.” – Norman Vincent Peale
Kelley, I could feel your excitement reading your comment. I wish you a magical return visit to Maui with your family. I agree, imagination is the creative process for choosing our future. Cheers! 🙂