Utilizing imagination comes naturally to children, particularly in their play activities. As adults the demands of daily responsibility sometimes crowd out the intentional use of imagination which is often regarded as pointless, a waste of time, or childlike. On the contrary, using the power of imagination and creativity can be some of the most productive and enjoyable ways to spend time. Use of creative thinking can lead to novel ways to approach and solve problems. It can lead to invention, innovation and beauty through art, music, writing, poetry or other creative endeavors. It not only helps you in your work, but can also enhance your relationships by introducing novelty, new experiences and excitement. The point is to make time for creative, imaginative thinking on a daily basis. As with any other skill, the more you use it, the more developed and robust the ability becomes. This will undoubtedly enhance your experience of life and produce interesting and unexpected results.
Understanding the capacity of the mind to generate scenarios and ideas that are not real and the ability to separate these ideas and thoughts from our identity or understanding of reality can help relieve anxiety and depression. The ability to acknowledge thoughts as fleeting, often subconsciously generated, with some basis in reality but emanating from the part of the brain concerned with environmental threat, can help us to dispense with holding on to these fear-based ideas. Silent meditation is a good way to observe your thinking patterns and to practice the skill of letting go of transient and random thoughts. By practicing this skill daily, the recognition of your ideas becomes easier, and more under conscious control to expand and elaborate or to disregard and move on to better ideas. We become less a slave to random thoughts that steer us in directions we do not necessarily want to go. Developing this capacity to separate our thoughts into helpful, productive ideas and useless or harmful ones is a skill we can learn. It will definitely improve the quality of your life and your interactions with other people.
As we develop our skills of mind awareness, we open ourselves to ideas that spark interest and energy. We can pay more attention to our imagination and start to better utilize it's capacity to improve our lives in infinite ways. Utilizing imagination in playful activities is one way of further developing our creative abilities, but also in producing fun and enjoyment. Use of imagination in play improves our ability to be spontaneous, to react to situations with improvisation, and to adapt and perform well in the moment. Games, competitions and hobbies which require spontaneous and quick responses test our imagination and reduce barriers of self imposed restraint or embarrassment. Imagination and fantasy can also be used to vitalize a healthy relationship. Imagination and creativity are a powerful means to making the world and your experience in it better. The closer we come to and more often we achieve a state of spontaneous flow in our days, riding the natural waves of experience, the more free, satisfied and effective we will be.