| -- End Ad Box ---> | | | | taffy and make it stretch and twist and bend and |
| "Imagination is more important than knowledge. For | | | | fold. Now turn the object inside out. |
| knowledge is limited to all we now know and | | | | Again, you do not need to see every single |
| understand, while imagination embraces the entire | | | | detail. The idea is simply to get your imagination to |
| world, and all there ever will be to know and | | | | come out and play. You want it to break free of its |
| understand." | | | | well-worn, literal rut, and more importantly, you want |
| Albert Einstein, Physicist, 1879-1955 | | | | to get comfortable seeing things that are not yet in |
| This one quote alone is a pretty compelling reason to | | | | your physical world. Let’s do one more
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| learn how to turn our imaginative genius loose. | | | | Exercise 3 — Mental Aroma Therapy |
| All of us have a fairly vivid imagination, but | | | | Our sense of smell is by far the strongest sense that |
| unfortunately, we do not control it. It controls us. It | | | | we have. A single aroma is enough to unleash a flood |
| runs willy-nilly on its own, painting pictures in our | | | | of vivid memories. Also, olfactory sensations are the |
| minds of things that we do NOT want to materialize. | | | | first ones to reach the brain. So not only does smell |
| What's even more alarming is the fact that the same | | | | provide a powerful link to our recall. It can also serve |
| reel of pictures keeps playing over and over again. | | | | to stimulate and excite our imagination. |
| There are statistics that indicate that of the many | | | | This exercise consists of simply recalling |
| thousands of thoughts that we have in the course of | | | | certain odors that are most pleasant to you. What |
| a single day, the vast majority of them are the same | | | | aromas make you feel calm? Smell them now. What |
| old, tired out, uninspired thoughts that we had earlier | | | | scents make you feel powerful? Train yourself to |
| in the day, and the day before, and the day before | | | | mentally whiff that scent when you’re feeling |
| that, ad nauseum. | | | | small. |
| Here are some simple visualization exercises that will | | | | Think of smells that make you feel confident, free, |
| help you train your imagination to flex its muscles. | | | | intelligent, rich, kind, playful, or anything else that |
| You can perform these anytime, anywhere, and in | | | | occurs to you. |
| just a matter of seconds. | | | | As you go through different odors that cause you to |
| Exercise 1 - Color Me Beautiful | | | | experience these pleasurable sensations, take note |
| Focus on any object in your immediate vicinity. | | | | of what pictures each aroma conjures up for you. |
| Mentally change its color. Some people try to be too | | | | What aspect of these mental scenes pleases you |
| literal-minded about this and claim that they cannot | | | | most? (This is a great way to engage your mind |
| see the different color. Just get a flashing | | | | during lost, odd moments.) |
| sense of it being this different color. | | | | These pictures and odors should be remembered and |
| That’s all that is needed. | | | | incorporated into visualizing your goals. The point of |
| Run through several colors in rapid succession. | | | | these exercises is to get your logical mind to loosen |
| Change the finish from a high gloss to a matte finish. | | | | up, to release its choke hold on your creative spirit. |
| Make it fuzzy. Make it wet. You can graduate to | | | | Why is this so important? Because the fastest, most |
| seeing multi-colored patterns: plaids, stripes, polka | | | | efficient way to achieve any goal is to SEE it in our |
| dots, animal prints, etc. | | | | mind's eye. We are to act, feel and give heartfelt |
| Exercise 2 — Bend Me, Shape Me, Any Way | | | | thanks as if it were already a done deal. Some |
| You Want Me | | | | authors call this "Thinking from the end." |
| Once again focus on any object. Increase its size, | | | | Giving our imaginations a workout will help us |
| more, more, even more. Now shrink it back again. | | | | accomplish this. |
| Make it so tiny that it all but disappears. Make it fat | | | | "Logic will get you from A to B. |
| and puffy and then skinny and sunken. Pull it like | | | | |