I never imagined I could snorkel
My lovely snorkeling student today made this remark.
This also means, I imagined I would never be able to snorkel. The imagination is so powerful, it can stop us from trying something new and different because of what we imagine might happen, rather than what is actually happening.
When we imagine something happening, good or bad, our body starts a physical reaction as if it’s happening right now. Such is the immense power of imagination.
Sometimes the image we have in our mind has been placed there by a source that is not our own experience. This could be a loving parent giving a warning in attempt to protect their child (don’t swim in the ocean, it’s not safe!) or watching fictional scary movies about man made mechanical sharks (I think you already know this one.)
Perhaps another option would be to imagine what you do want to happen and how it feels to have that within reach. When you have that positive image in your mind, take a deep breath and really focus on it, feel it, see it, hear it, taste it, smell it.
That feels better doesn’t it?
So if there’s something you’ve been putting off or avoiding because you always imagined it was never possible, why not try imagining it is possible? You may find yourself smiling at the thought of a brave, new you. And when you’re smiling, the whole world smiles with you.
By the way, my snorkeling student finished our lesson by saying she felt ‘very secure and confident while snorkeling’.
Quite a change from I never imagined