The Power to Imagine
"You were gifted with the power to imagine." - Colette Baron-Reid
I read this quote the other day and it lit something up inside of me. You see, for a long time I felt like my desires to dream and imagine were flaws. I believed I needed to "get my head out of the clouds," so to speak. I thought I'd be more "productive" if I could just be a little more grounded and focused.
There is some truth to those statements. Sometimes I DO need to get grounded and focused, but over the last year I've realized my penchant for dreaming and my love of possibility are NOT flaws - they're actually strengths. I thought everyone saw the world through eyes of possibility and hope but some people were just better at getting to work.
The reality is, that everyone DOESN'T think in possibilities! When people say, "we can't do that" or "we can't have that," my mind works in "why can't we?" I've realized this ability I have to see beyond the here and now is one of my greatest gifts and I have embraced it wholeheartedly.
You see, there were years not all that long ago where I lost my ability to dream. When people spoke of hopes and dreams and desires, I felt blank and empty and dark. I hadn't realized I was losing this part of me until it was already gone. I couldn't see beyond my fears and my to-do lists and all the ways I was failing as a wife and mother.
When I began my journey to wellness and started feeling better, I remember knowing the cloud was finally lifting when I felt inspired again. I got my spark back. I could dream again. I planned and schemed and imagined all the beautiful, wonderful possibilities my life held and it felt SO GOOD. In fact, it led me here to this work and to this page.
These days I often measure my mental wellness by whether or not I can dream. I still have dark days and dark weeks here and there and on those days it can be a struggle just to get through the day. Then, the fog lifts, and I'm back. I wait for the ball of excitement that comes when I hear an inspiring story or I talk to a woman who is embarking on an amazing journey and I'm reminded over and over again that this power to imagine and ability to dream and to see in possibilities is indeed a GIFT. It is a gift I believe I am meant to share - to help the women I work with and speak with to see the possibilities they can't see themselves and to help them to BELIEVE in the possibilities their lives hold.
Now I ask you, are you a dreamer?? Do you believe these dreams you dream guide you? Or have you felt letting your imagination run wild is a waste of time? I'd love to know in the comments below. And I hope I've inspired you to let your mind wander and let all you imagine guide you towards your truest desires.
Love,
Elsa