Yesterday, I put up a meme with the phrase, “Imagination Trumps Massive Action.”
Oddly enough, some people don’t believe this is true.
Why?
Because they think, erroneously, that imagination is completely separate from action. It’s not.
Imagination comes first, then there’s the laying of the egg. They are connected.
Show me a goal setter or a person who plans his or her day, and I’ll show you someone who uses his imagination regularly. You cannot conceive of a goal and put it on a card or slip of paper without imagining the goal first.
Similarly, you cannot take action without seeing yourself doing so first. You may delude yourself into believing that you never imagine anything, that you look at your goal and “just do it” – but no one just does anything. All action is preceded by thought.
What do you think a person is doing when he or she looks at a written goal? He isn’t just reading words. He’s reading words and those words trigger mental images.
Some people think they aren’t picturing anything before they “just do it” because they do it so quickly they’re not consciously aware of doing so, yet they are. If they slowed their process down a bit, this truth would become clear to them.
You can get results by writing out lists and making plans and reviewing them daily.
But here’s the situation: If you’re struggling and you’ve been taking “massive action” – I recommend ramping up your imagination even more BEFORE you act. Imagining MORE often leads to getting a job done quicker and with a lot less strain. It also leads to breakthroughs that are stunning.
For example, I was working on a martial arts movement the other day that involved a number of quick twists and pivots. I practiced the move poorly a few times, followed by some repetitions that were so-so.
In the midst of my frustration, I reminded myself to stop, close my eyes and picture the result I wanted. I saw the move being completely with ease. I pictured the move and the result I wanted for less than a minute, then I performed the move again.
BANG.
On the next repetition, I nailed the move with ease.
This is not the first time such a thing has happened in my life. Tis why I “reminded myself” to slow it down, close my eyes, and picture the result I wanted. And this is why I say, “Imagination Trumps Massive Action.”
I can work and work and work and work and work on the move, and I have. Working on something physically is important. But you’d be amazed how much ramping up your imagination will change the outcome.
What I’ve described here is simple and profound, yet, many people aren’t willing to stop taking massive action long enough to witness the results.
We’re using our imagination all the time whether we realize it or not. When I was not doing the martial arts maneuver well, whether I want to acknowledge it or not, I was seeing myself doing the move poorly.
By stopping the physical activity to engage in mental imagery, I gave myself a psychological break and a fresh opportunity. Yes, I gave my mind a break by stopping the action. When I took the time to imagine what I wanted before beginning again, my brain, nervous system and muscles got it.
You have many available instances, all day long, where you can play this same sort of scenario and see what happens.
Will you?
Imagination Trumps Massive Action.
Matt Furey
P.S. I’m picturing a Theatre of the Mind seminar in May of this year. Get ready. More details coming soon.
