Trait 64: Imagination - Professional Development Key of the Week
- Erica Hughey
- Sep 3, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 16
Being the Dreamer on the team, when the time is right, you can carry everyone from the gray areas of confusion into the highlights of illumination with your imagination which leads to innovation, higher productivity and ultimately, increased profits. With this bold skill of wonder, you ask how things could be different from the past; how can the team grow and better serve your customers in the future. This type of genius abhors consistency as it thrives on quantum leaps and transformations. "Imagination is more important than knowledge." Albert Einstein
As you lead or contribute to your team this week, welcome confusion as a favorable sign that you are learning something new. As you study new competencies or partake in an annual training as part of your professional development, keep an open mindset and enjoy a sense of wonder. Try not to become overwhelmed as you attempt to reconcile new information against your biases or beliefs. The beauty of new information is that it doesn't have to make sense to you immediately. Actually, you trying to figure it out on the spot may increase your level of confusion and cause anxiety. Confusion can be such a gift to yourself as you attempt to make sense out of a new contemplation where the magic of wonder cycles through your mind as you consider new information or another person's point of view.
Become comfortable being uncomfortable and know that it’s OK that you will never be 100% certain of anything. Your beautiful mind is just busy doing its job of trying to abstract meaning out of the past to gain perspective into the future. If you can learn to process the confusion, which is simply the comparison of new ideas against ideas you already hold, you can experience expansion all while leaving your peace of mind intact.
Outside of receiving the new information, there is no action to take when you're learning or contemplating something. Simply hold the concept of this new idea by giving it to your imagination. In due time, with your imagination you will be able to use your newfound insight to stimulate a world a possibility of expansion for yourself and your team with a bigger picture to share and strive for. Using your imagination can be scary because it's illogical. It does not and cannot follow a predictable pattern. It is the experience; it doesn't rely on data points from an experiment.
“Logic only gets you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” -Albert Einstein
Enjoy the creative process of moving from confusion to imagination by fully immersing yourself into new ideas, insights, and inspirations without being rigid or controlling. You may find that you are addicted to overthinking and try to script the narrative because it allows you to avoid being present in the moment and experiencing evolutionary growth, personal and professional development. The cool part is that the moment you stop thinking about whatever your narrative is or should be, is the moment that the confusion ends, and imagination begins.
A sure indicator that you are acting on your confusion instead of contemplating it is that you will find yourself imitating someone else's bias or beliefs. Consider if you hold a perspective or have a notion about a person, place, or thing because that is how your parents thought about it or is that how you truly feel about it. Be courageous and ensure that you are not imitating your peer’s position on something and instead use your own imagination. Imagination kills imitation because it breaks down the limitations of your mental, cultural, educational, religious, social, etc., constraints. You are designed to grow and be a life long learner, give yourself permission to go be great.
Satori Synergy uses the Art of Self-Actualization and the Science of Differentiation as tools to guide individuals towards becoming an empowered version of themselves in their personal and professional lives by helping you understand how you are designed to thrive and have a positive impact on others through 64 possible traits.
