SGM Oct 2016 Weekly Message Three: “Four Inner Secrets to Live the Life You’ve Imagined!”
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Welcome back to the October 2016 Edition of Spiritual Growth Monthly. I’m Kevin Schoeninger. It’s great to have you with us here at SGM!
Have you imagined what it would be like to experience something that you haven’t yet been, done, or had?
I’m going to be presumptive and answer for you. Yes, you have. That’s one of the amazing powers of our human minds—we can imagine just about anything.
For example, at different moments in your life, you may have imagined going on a trip to a tropical beach, finding someone to share your life with, having a family, working at your dream job, living in your ideal home, creating a piece of art, or making a powerful positive difference in the world.
On a smaller scale, you may have imagined the taste of different foods on a menu or what different songs sound like to help you choose one to match what you want at a given moment.
You use your imagination all the time. In fact, your imagination is constantly active preparing you for what might come—the good and the bad. It’s a powerful gift to help you envision and choose the experiences you desire and avoid those you don’t.
Yet, are you really taking advantage of this incredible power you have to imagine? By that I mean are you consciously living the life you’ve imagined? Are you using your imagination to intentionally prepare your path forward? Are positive images in your mind translating into the reality you are living or are negative images subconsciously holding you back?
Whether you’ve been subconsciously allowing your imagination to get the best of you or consciously using it to help you move forward, there are four powerful secrets to using your imagination more intentionally and effectively. In this week’s message, we’ll explore how you can put these insights into action in your meditation practice.
Once you’ve used your preferred meditation technique to relax your body, focus and quiet your mind, and rest in still, silent, spacious awareness, you are in an ideal state to practice the following secrets to live the life you’ve imagined!
In the book, “Meditation: An In-Depth Guide” (Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2011) meditation teachers Ian Gawler and Paul Bedson describe how we can use meditation to pave the way for the experiences we desire. As they say:
“We can learn how to generate images that reflect the goals we have decided upon, and then repeat these images over and over in our mind so that they become established in a way that the mind follows them through to completion.” (p.306, MAIG)
Imagery is a primary way that our minds store information on conscious and subconscious levels. Images hold information and emotional energy that drive action. Strong images pull us forward toward what we want and steer us clear of what we don’t want.
The great thing about imagery, when used consciously, is that we can use it to enlist the full powers of our being in ways that conscious planning and preparation can’t begin to touch. When you hold an image in your mind, it connects your conscious mind with subconscious resources and steers them in a unified direction.
The beauty of using imagery is that you don’t have to know all the steps you’ll need to take to get where you want to go. You just hold the image of what you desire and your deeper mind goes to work gathering the resources and inspiring the steps to move you in that direction.
For example, if you are sick and you want to get better, you don’t have to know how your immune system works. You simply hold an image of being healthy and your body uses that image to do what it knows how to do to take you there. This will include inspiring you with actions you can take to support that process.
If you are lacking money and you hold an image of what it would be like to have the resources you need, your subconscious goes to work gathering information, energy, and connections to bring those resources into being. This will include inspiring you with actions you can take to move forward.
You can apply imagery to any desired experience to move you into that experience.
Now, for an image to be effective, it’s important to make it vivid. Use all your senses or the ones that you find most compelling. What are the visual details of your image of health, wealth, or love? Are there any sounds, smells, tastes, textures, or other sensations associated with your image?
Repeatedly bring your full-sensory image into your mind until it is a clear and vivid reality for you. You could repeat your image every day at the end of your meditation session and anytime you think to recall it during the day. You can even intend to dream about a desired experience at night.
Speaking of dreams, the next secret to using imagery effectively is to step into it “AS IF” you are living in that reality right now—like you would in a dream. In your mind, you simply imagine stepping into your mental picture and experiencing it with all your senses in the present moment.
You can mentally play the scene forward and notice what it looks like, sounds like, tastes, smells, and feels like to be living in that reality. Allow yourself to immerse in the experience and really absorb the feeling of it. Record that feeling in all your cells, so you get accustomed to it.
Feeling the scene “AS IF” you are living it creates the same neural connections and mental-emotional pathways as if you are actually doing it. It is a mental rehearsal of the real thing that creates the mind-body networks which prime you to more easily experience that. When you grow the neural networks associated with an experience, it becomes natural to notice similar opportunities and act on them in real life.
Athletes use this type of feeling-based mental rehearsal to prepare for competition. And, the great thing is that you don’t have to imagine “perfect execution” for this to work well. You can even imagine setbacks and how you would overcome them to prepare you for the inevitable ups and downs and unpredictability of life.
We all have the ability to imagine. How are you using this ability to grow something good?
Now, some people have used Secrets One and Two and complain that they just don’t work. Their images just don’t seem to work out in real life. There are a number of reasons why this might happen.
A. Your desire might not match a real need.
Life supports our real needs and imagery works best when aligned with those real needs. We may have many desires that actually aren’t aligned with what is truly best for us. In these cases, all the imagery and positive feeling in the world may not bring those experiences to us.
If you find your imagined experiences remaining unfulfilled, ask yourself “What is my real need in this situation?”
B. The timing isn’t right yet.
There may be something blocking the fulfillment of a particular need. Something needs to be learned or healed first. Some things take a long time to come to fruition—and that time is important for deep insight, healing, appreciation, and full impact of the experience.
If your imagined experience seems to be moving forward real slowly and taking a long time, ask yourself “What do I need to learn or heal before this experience can come into full expression?
C. The result comes in a different form than expected.
Sometimes we envision specific ways that we want an experience to happen, but it would actually be better for it to happen another way. It would be better if we experienced what we need in a different form. For example, you may think of yourself in a specific job, but there is actually a job that suits you even better than the one you imagined. Life wants to bring you what is best for you.
So, see if you can notice what really works for you, not just what you think is best. Sometimes our preconceptions get in our way. See if it’s possible to be open to the opportunity available in “what is actually happening” rather than remaining fixed on how you think things “should be.”
Once you have a feel for your real need, appreciate that time is important, and are paying attention to opportunities that present themselves, then you are ready to affirm and pray to support your mindset. Here are some ways to do that:
State your desired experience positively, in present tense, with gratitude.
Here are some examples:
“I am thankful for good health”
“I appreciate having this enjoyable job that uses my skills, serves others, and provides the resources my family needs.”
Or simply state a desired experience silently in your mind and smile in appreciation for it:
“Inner peace”
Or design a prayer that you repeat over and over any time you get worried, anxious, or afraid:
“God bless us with health, happiness, protection, and peace.”
As you repeat your affirmation or prayer, call the image of that reality to mind and really feel what it’s like to be, do, or have that.
Secret #4: Take One Action Every Day To Live In That Experience
Once you have a vivid image in your mind, step into that image and spend time in it every day, and support it with repeated affirmations or prayers, it’s time for one last step—inspired action.
The first three secrets create a powerful positive mindset that orients you toward welcoming an experience. The final secret is how you bring that experience from imagination into life.
As you sit with your imagined experience in meditation, ask yourself “What is one step I can take to move forward and live this experience today?
For example, if you want to write a book, you could gather information day-by-day in a folder, create an outline, and, then, write one page a day. If you want to lose weight and get in shape, you could write down everything you eat (to help you be more mindful and make good choices) and devote 20 minutes a day to movement you enjoy. If you want to release stress and experience more inner peace, you could start your day with 5-20 minutes of meditation every morning.
Some experiences lead you to repeat similar actions every day, while others ask for a diverse set of sequential steps. The key is to ask, “What can I do today to move forward?”
If you take one inspired action every day, no matter how small, you will grow what you desire. As you take that action, you are actually living in that experience—you are experiencing it now. And, as you do this day after day, you build a momentum that naturally expands, grows, gathers resources and connections, and makes that more and more a part of your life.
Soon your practice has a life of its own that leads you forward.
I would love to hear your questions and comments about using your imagination to grow the experiences you desire in our Discussion below.
What would you like to imagine being, doing, or having?
Enjoy your practice!
Kevin