The power of imagination: focus not on what is not, but on what is
All problems can be turned into tasks, and crises can be turned into opportunities – this is the power of the imagination. How to learn to focus not on what is not, but on what is? In this article, advice from the world-famous speaker, philanthropist and activist Nick Vuychich.
“My parents encouraged me to focus not on what I don't have,
but on what is and what I can create,
if I don't hold back my imagination."
From the book Life Without Limits by Nick Vujicic
Every person is only limited by their imagination.
How to learn to focus not on what is not, but on what is? The master of imaginative power, Nick Vujicic, knows how to turn fear into a motivator. He has no arms, no legs, no fear. Literally. And he knows firsthand that much worse, the absence of limbs.
All people, without exception, have access to a cloud server, let's call it "Imaginarium" conditionally. It stores all existing ideas, conjectures, discoveries and observations. Decentralized or catalogued, single or combined in an infinite number of combinations – the data of this cloud server is available to anyone.
In this sense, all people are incredibly rich. But if you do not know or have forgotten the login system to your account, then you should understand the feelings of those people who acquired bitcoins at the dawn of its appearance and forgot passwords from wallets.
The less a person believes in the power of his imagination, the further away from him is the possibility of restoring access to his own resources.
How to regain access to the imagination?
Nick Vuychich, a world-famous speaker, writer and public figure, believes that the main obstacle to development is fear. And if you do not let it take root, then you can not only be a professional in your field and earn what you like, but also live a happy life.
The power of imagination is a remote-controlled tool with the help of thoughts.
In his book Life Without Limits, Nick Vujicic writes about his girlfriend, whose parents were not happily married.
“They divorced when I was little, but even after the divorce they often quarreled. I have witnessed these scandals. Now I am an adult and I myself have a relationship with a man, but I am not going to marry. I don’t want it to end up like my parents did."
The difference between "what if?" and "why not"
Life will not be happy and joyful if you live in constant fear of what might happen. Anxious people and indecisive people focus on what makes their situation worse and their fear stronger. The question "what if?" not so bad if you dream big and see the world as an explorer or a reformer. But it also happens that fear eats into life so deeply that, not noticing its influence, a person lives under its control, depriving himself of opportunities.
If a person turns down opportunities out of fear of failure, they probably don't know that their imagination is always with them. And that at any moment he can change his choice: stop asking himself the question “what if?” and start thinking about “why not?”
Note: On the nature of fear, read the article “Anxiety and Fear: How to Overcome Difficult Emotions – A Scientific Approach”
There are five questions that people begin to ask when faced with fear of the inadequacy of others, fear of dependency, and fear of rejection.
5 questions that block access to imagination
- What if I fail?
- What if I'm not really good enough for this?
- What if I become a laughing stock in the eyes of others?
- What if I fail and fail?
- What if the hard-won gains are not preserved?
The power of imagination increases when you connect humor
In Nick Vujicic's book, there is a wonderful example of how Nick Vujicic overcomes anxiety before meeting an important person.
“I'm rummaging through my memory bank. I'm looking for courage. Who do I have an appointment with tomorrow? With Oprah Winfrey? It's very exciting. And then I ask myself, – Nick, are you afraid to communicate with Oprah? What will she do to you, cut off your arms and legs? Oh wait, you don't have them anyway. For more than 25 years! – and then I turn in my imagination to Oprah: I'm ready to meet, Oprah! Hug me soon!"
Well-known motivational speaker Nick Vuychich is a non-standard information businessman and a public person. Its natural features can shock or plunge into depression any person who is afraid of something. But as soon as you watch Nick's performances, see his wide free smile and burning eyes, how awkwardness disappears.
Vujicic has a “non-standard equipment” of the body since birth, but he speaks to people in 19 countries, instilling faith in themselves in their hearts. His performances gather stadiums, he is ready to share his thoughts in schools, churches, prisons – the venue does not matter.
But Nick was very lucky. His parents taught him to acknowledge his fears and overcome them.
Fear may not be a barrier, but a motivator for decisive action. Although by its very nature, fear is an instinct that is designed to set limits, there are hidden in your imagination the keys to “reprogramming” fear from a destructive emotion into a useful one.
For example, the next time you feel fear filling you, remember a real event in your life when, despite this chilling and paralyzing feeling, you persevered and solved the problem that stood before you.
