Joe Rutland offers a clarion call for all men to tap into the power of imagination and let their lives become fuller and richer every day.
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Tossing and turning in bed, alone, is really not a lot of fun for me. A lot of times my brain will still be filled with the day’s activities, stressors and challenges … thereby negating all the positive, affirming things and occurrences that took place.
Nevertheless, my imagination about what I want my life to look like … especially at bedtime … is a good thing to have.
When I speak of imagination, I’m not merely talking about sexual fantasy escapades, having a woman swing back and forth from a chandelier and howl to the moon. No, that might be me but not her.
I really am talking about bringing the powers of my mind into a comfort zone, a meditative area where simply being, breathing and relaxing allow my imagination to fully embrace the moment.
For instance, imagining that I will have a successful day ahead, seeing that all things and people and places I interact with are for my highest good, provide a quiet base for me to get to sleep.
I’ve spent time offloading the mental crap that stacks up inside the prefrontal cortex (look that up, brainiacs!) and found some inner peace within me. Does this always take place? No. I am one of a few people in the world that will enjoy holding onto a good grudge or resentment now and then. It makes me feel so good. Not really. That time of mental thinking only impedes what I call positive imagination.
You think this is a bunch of gobble-gobble stuff? I know it’s just before Thanksgiving, but I can guarantee you this is not gibberish. Settle down and let me explain.
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See, all of us have the power of imagination within us. We all do. No matter how much education you have had or how much more life experience you are filled with than the other person, listen, we all can imagine better lives and greater relationships than the ones we are in right now.
All men have the great power of imagination when it comes to having a healthy sex life with a partner. Fantasy has its place, and some men can stay in that realm … maybe a little too long. What about conscious imagination? Begin by being fully present, in the moment, and visualizing wonderful outcomes to business situations, life opportunities, and knowing that each and every minute of life is so precious and beautiful.
Pie in the sky, you say. OK. Look here, Harvard grad (with all due respect to Harvard, of course), it pretty much boils down to this. Imagination is the visceral, emotional engine that – combined with focus – can bring a man into his fullest expression of himself. Don’t you want a better, fuller life in some area today? You may have the greatest love in your life, yet the job sucks. You might be financially free, yet find yourself hooked on alcohol, drugs, food, sex or work.
It happens. Imagination brings freedom to the masculine soul. It allows that possibilities which have never been thought of before to be considered. It brings the essence of you, as a man, out into the forefront of your life so that not every single damn thing sucks all the time.
Imagine that! Imagine a wonderful life that is filled with family, friends, happiness, joy, bliss, serenity, healthy sexuality, abundance, prosperity, laughter, a healthy physical body … imagine the great possibilities that lie ahead for you and for many.
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Why so much about imagination? Because I’ve come to learn, at 50 years old, that having a healthy imagination can actually be a precursor to greater achievement.
I’ll just take this to the romantic level. I’m a single man and I imagine myself in a wonderful, loving, fulfilling relationship with a woman. I’ve written about the dating scene before, so I’m not going to repeat myself here. Yet I can imagine myself holding hands with this woman, looking into her eyes, listening to what she is sharing with me, and getting in touch with her energy and essence. I can visualize the type of woman I want in my life and mix the visualization with my imagination from a healthy standpoint.
Imagination, mixed with some deliberate thought and focus, provides a powerful concoction for a man. New creative ideas and passions flow into his life. It makes what seemed impossible now possible. There always will be some inner emotional blocks to look into when it comes to imagining a better life for you and your lover, family and friends. The natural state of mind might simply not allow us to believe that a man is worthy of having a joyously, happy life. No, a man deserves – in a thoughtful way – to have a great life.
Who says that I am not really worthy of this? Only that space between my ears keeps me from fully embracing this power of imagination.
Let’s be honest. Some don’t believe in the power of imagination and visualization. Some of you thing this is just crap and want facts. So let me refer you to Alexander Graham Bell, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein and others. Let me refer you to the words of Emerson, Frost, Dickinson, Rumi … and the words of Churchill, Roosevelt, Kennedy, King, and others.
Where did these individuals receive their wisdom and inspiration? “From speechwriters,” the guy in the peanut gallery yells out. For some, that is true. Yet when the words were read by those even with speechwriters, a part of how they were expressed came from the powerful force of imagination.
That same power runs through me and you, too, in this moment. It really does.
When a man can tap into his imaginative power and know that his life has deep meaning and purpose, then he is well on the way to achieving far greater things than he ever thought possible.
That includes having that incredible woman by his side.
That is not fantasy. That is real life.
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Photo: kozumel/Flickr