Where Did Our Imaginations Go?

We have such vivid imaginations as children. We create entire worlds in our backyards, become different characters, and express various aspects of self throughout the day. However, the focus on adventure and exploration shifts as we get older and we spend the majority of our energy preserving or protecting who we think we are, or worse, who we think we need to be. We stop daydreaming. 

I hear people say, “I used to have such a vivid imagination as a kid”, as if it disappeared. It didn’t. It has just shifted focus. As adults, we have the strongest imaginations ever: imaginations so vivid that we produce physiological responses in our bodies in the form of stress and anxiety. That is a great imagination! We are just imagining the worst possible outcomes. 

What if we could use our imagination to build something beautiful instead?