Take Off the Limitation - Use Your Imagination!
Recently, I was blessed with an incredible summer break across three nations – the UK, Italy, and Greece. It was a bit of a whirlwind, five flights, and five accommodations - one of them a bit glamping-esq, which can be trying for little Miss Neatnik. But this was an awesome time!
I like all three of the spots, for different reasons. It’s so good to get outside of your own environment and see how other people, and other cultures, operate. You can learn so much about yourself from others. Arguably, one of my favorite destinations was London. We lived there for 10 years, and have such beautiful friends there. We were the pastors of a church, and it was so inspiring to see that church flourishing into the future. But I also love the Big Smoke because I have two of my all-time favorite spaces for creative rejuvenation in that city of over 9 million people – Brompton Cemetery, and Bishops Park.
I literally love these places. They both live large in my heart and imagination. And it got me thinking about why it’s important to identify places that inspire you so that when you need them you can go there. Now, we live in Miami, and I can’t just go to the park or the cemetery in London when I feel like it. But I can go there in my mind, I can allow my imagination to run wild, giving me that surge of creativity and inspiration that I so desperately need.
We all have our happy places. Yours may look wildly different than fav spots frequented by friends or family. But here’s the thing, they can produce the same result - they give us a sense of freedom, wonder, excitement, and well-being. With such a lure you might get disappointed when you consider how little you can literally visit your happy place. Or, there are almost too few hours in the day to spend time in your happy place, even if it’s close at hand. But, don’t discount the power of your imagination to take you there, quickly and efficiently – and even effectively. Here’s why I make a point to “go there” when I can’t go there:
Hard Work Makes You Stale
No matter how much you love to work - and yes, there are some of us out there that do, you need SPACE to dream and breathe. It’s easy to get into the zone and just keep grinding, but that will inevitably burn you out. Take time to call up those happy memories, you will be rewarded with a fresh wind.
Imaginative “Trips” Help Remind Me of Purpose
All work all the time not only makes you dull, but it can also stress you out. Big time. So, I like to take time to let my imagination give me a good shot of purpose. I can’t catch that on the fly, I need to slow down and chill. And I need to bring up those happy vibes that my only special places can bring.
My Imagination Gives Me Perspective
Not only does going to my happy place keep me fresh and purpose-driven, but it provides perspective. It’s so easy to get mired in the mud and forget why we’re doing what we’re doing. Getting that all-important time-out can help provide perspective, you might not even know you’ve lost.