Life Lines

"The possible's slow fuse is lit by imagination."--Emily Dickinson

Following Emily Dickinson's reasoning, achievement begins with being able to imagine a goal. The Olympian who wins a medal imagined it first, maybe even as a child. It was this vision of the possible that motivated and disciplined the athlete to excel.

The same applies to anything that's possible to achieve. We have to imagine it as a goal and aim for it. Not all goals are necessarily Olympian; they're more often mundane: to play the guitar, to own an bookstore, to afford a house, to build a business, to be an electrician, a doctor, a good parent.

It starts with imagining it. That means forming a mental image of something that is not yet reality. The importance of this initial step can't be overestimated.

But this must be balanced by what's possible, as Emily Dickinson is careful to note at the beginning of her sentence.

Not everyone can be what they imagine. But certainly without the inspiration of imagination nothing is gained, no goal is attained. Moreover, what we can be is not necessarily determined by our past.

"Live out of your imagination, not your history."--Stephen Covey nnn