Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve written about what reimagining is and why we need it. So now it’s time to get practical about imagination and dig into how to do it.
You’ll be happy to know that being imaginative is not about sitting (alone and very still, with our forehead crunched up) and waiting for a flash of insight. It can happen through intentional, active and social steps, and I’m going to share a few of them with you this week and next.
Think of these as tools at your disposal more than a linear set of steps. Grab the one(s) you need right now.
- Hit pause (at least temporarily, at the beginning). It’s not easy to reimagine your next chapter when you are moving at top speed. You do need to create space and structure for it. For some people, this involves taking a sabbatical. For others, it’s 10 minutes in your car after you’ve dropped your kids off at school. For most of us, it’s somewhere in between. The length is less important than the pattern interruption you need to get your own attention.
- Identify the ‘big rocks’. What must be true and/or isn’t changing in your next chapter? This should be quick and definitive. If something feels a bit iffy when you name it, leave it out of this category for now. These parameters are often related to relationships, geographic locations or finances…
- Name what’s in the category of ‘no way’ or ‘not anymore.’ It’s often easier to identify what you don’t want than what you do. Start there.
- Filter further. When you look at your list of things you definitely don’t want, it may not be sufficiently granular to rule enough out. (Have you ever poured quinoa down the sink by mistake instead of draining it because the holes in your sieve were too big? Just me?). Take your time on this — there may be things you used to want that the current version of you doesn’t want anymore, and you might skip by those things by mistake, out of habit.
- Connect with what you love. Each of us has quirky things that bring us more joy than most people. Activities. Places. Weather. Smells. Superpowers. Write them all down. I promise it will put a smile on your face and boost your energy.
That’s enough for now. More next week about making your picture of the future you want more vivid.
And if you are an organizational leader and were reading this as a personal coaching pep talk, go back and read it through your leadership lens — it works for organizational strategy development too!