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by Sharon Gilbert
Daydreaming is really an art form. Children know it instinctively
and believe that they can achieve
anything that they concentrate on
long enough. As adults, we forget the power of daydreaming, of
letting loose and letting our minds create limitless possibilities
for our lives. We’ve let life and responsibilities interfere with
our hopes of who we’d someday like to become, what we’d someday
like to create and what we’d someday like to accomplish. We’ve
allowed ‘someday” to be pushed so far out of our minds that we
no longer believe we can achieve those things we dreamed about so
long ago.
Dictionary.com defines daydreaming as “a dreamlike musing or
fantasy while awake, especially of the fulfillment of wishes or
hopes”. Without the ‘fulfillment of wishes or hopes’ life has
little meaning. Instead we go through the drudges of life thinking
that someday we’ll have time for ourselves, time to do all of the
things we’d like to do, time to become the person we’d like to
be.
The problem is that we’re caught in the middle. We’ve left
our daydreams behind forgetting that life should be a fun and
fulfilling journey. We’ve postponed our ‘someday” to when we
retire, and we’ve left our responsibilities behind. Except that
responsibilities are never left behind. That’s life; there’s
always something we’re supposed to do. And so, we’re stuck in
the middle, living life, going through the motions, with little time
spent on fulfilling those dreams that once had so much meaning. That’s
when creative visualization and meditation need to step in. That’s
when we need to focus our concentration on becoming the best we can
be. It’s time to let our imaginations go, follow our dreams and
start on a journey of fun, fulfillment and self-actualization. It’s
time to live up to our full and complete potential.
So what is creative visualization? And how does it relate to
meditation? Creative visualization is simply setting our minds free,
daydreaming and letting our creative thoughts flow. It is allowing
our imaginations to run wild, setting us on a course of action we
might never have taken. It’s about attracting into our lives those
things that our hearts truly desire whatever they may be. Meditation
allows us to reach a dreamlike state by relaxing our minds and
slowing our brain frequencies. Together creative visualization and
meditation allow us to focus on a life of fulfillment, a life we
have first created in our minds. Shakti Gawain in her book Creative
Visualization talks about the steps of creating anything you would
like to manifest in your life. The process is a simple one, yet one
that leads to happiness, joy and the knowledge that we’re living
life on our own terms. She defines them as:
- Set Your Goal
- Create a Clear Idea or Picture
- Focus on it
Often
- Give It Positive Energy
Picture a goal you’d like to create or an outcome you’d like
to achieve. It could be something material, a change you’d like to
make, becoming more spiritual, improving your relationships –
anything at all. Then form a clear mental image of that desire in
your mind, complete with emotions, pictures, colors and as much
detail as your can muster. Think of it as happening now, here in the
present, already manifest in your life.
Throughout the day think of your desire, daydream about it,
meditate on it. It doesn’t take long, a few minutes here and there
several times a day. Perhaps a morning and evening meditation with
several minutes of quiet attention paid to that special desire.
Picture yourself as already having that desire, as already being,
doing or having what you’d like to create. Let negative thoughts
simply pass through without giving them any credence. Just
concentrate on the positive, feeling it, seeing it, enjoying it.
Before long, you’ll start noticing some wonderful changes in
your life. Things you’ve thought about will materialize; you’ll
feel lighter and more relaxed; you’ll start accomplishing things
you’ve always wanted to; your heart’s desire will begin to come
true. You’ll be on a path of your own choosing; moving closer and
closer each day to becoming who you’ve always hoped you would
someday be. After all, isn’t that worth dreaming about?
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