imagination leads to creation

Today’s blog is one day late, according to our schedule of an every Sunday post!! So I just wanted to start out by acknowledging that and now I can move forward and share on our Motivation May theme!

This past week has been rich with pivot points on my life path. I have felt “on the fence” for many years, mulling over and researching on how I’d like the next 10,20, 30 years to look. This last year and especially month or so has brought me new experiences and insights on motivation that I’d like to share here.

For context, I’ve been picking up rollerblading at skateparks, a very unfamiliar territory for me. I’ve also been looking into universities and internships and opening up the door to my next chapter through imagination and visualization. We also just submitted the final manuscript of TAOGOI to the publishing company we’re working with and have finished the writing and workshopping part of the project!! A huge congratulations to Allie and I and everyone who supported us and this book!! We are so delighted to be in this stage of the experience!!

Through all of these major life moves, I’ve been using my imagination to help me find motivation and I want to share how you can use it too!!

So I live in a very busy world that is digitized, globalized, you name it; and it has lots of information wizzing around and lots of to do lists and it is easy to become overwhelmed and lose motivation because you feel like you just can’t possibly finish it all. In scenarios like this, I use my imagination to come up with new rewards that will give me a hit of dopamine and accomplishment and that helps keep me on task. For instance if I have illustration work to do, I will charge my computer fully, pack some snacks and head out to a picnic area so I can focus but also not be in my same environment which can feel boring, and I could possibly get distracted by TV or games or books. I also keep my to do list on my table so that it is easily accessible and I’m more likely to check off and take action on my items. If I have a big project that I need to get done I will tell a family member about it and ask them to keep me accountable and send me periodic questions about how it’s coming along.

If I am uncertain about how to do a certain skill on my to do list, I will use the resources on the Internet like YouTube or Pinterest to investigate and find out information on that subject.

I also spend some time journaling and engaging in metacognition where I think about my thinking and analyze if there are any roadblocks to me completing my goals and if I can create a structure that will help me overcome those limitations and move forward on my goal. I use my inner eye to picture what my life will be like once I achieve those goals, and this process of digging and sculpting my future from my mind helps me to identify possibilities that I might not have encountered, and it helps me have a tangible sense of what is to come should I fulfill all of my tasks.

I have come to learn that we are creatures of habit, so if I use my creativity to change my environment to support me in my goals, I am way more likely to fulfill them and then be motivated to create new and wonderful things to strive for.

Are there ways that you use your imagination to help with reaching your goals? What goals

do you have set for yourself?

So glad to have you along with us, keep an eye out for our book release coming up!

Abby Folsom