Law & Order or The Sound of Music

What is holding you back? If I were to ask you what your greatest impediment to attaining your goals, greater happiness, success, fulfillment or peace of mind was, I’m sure I would get a variety of answers.

Some would probably say that they were in a dead-end job or that they are the victim of office politics. Others might say that their networks weren’t as good as they should be. Probably a few might put the blame on their age, limited education or being too educated (over qualified). And of course, there are those who would say that they were simply born under a dark cloud of “bad luck” and they have never been able to get a break.

These are the top responses to a survey question that was asked of over 100 people a few years ago, and based on my interaction with people they seem to still ring true today.

What would you say in response to the question I posed in the first paragraph? Does it fit into any of the things I mentioned in the second paragraph? Go back and reread the preceding paragraph and if your response isn’t there, insert it somewhere. Then take a moment and reflect on every thing that is listed.

Dead-end job. Victim of office politics. Insufficient networks. Age or education. Born under a dark cloud of bad luck.

Notice the common denominator of all these things that people listed as holding them back? Everyone of these “reasons” (except the last one) may have some validity. And everyone of them, including the last one reveals a misuse of the most important tool the Good Lord gave us for overcoming problems and achieving our potential. That tool is our imagination!

I told a man that recently and he looked at me with bewilderment and said, “I am a pragmatist, a realist—imagination is for children!” It was no wonder Mr. Realist was on the fast track to nowhere. And I would submit that even though he didn’t realize it, he was using his imagination, but in a self-defeating way.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines imagination as being first, “the act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality.” We need to be careful about forming mental images of something not present because if we aren’t careful, we can build formidable representations of negativity that will keep us from activating the positive use of our imagination, which is contained in the second definition given by Merriam-Webster, “(A) creative ability; (B) ability to confront and deal with a problem.”

Have you ever watched the “Law & Order” shows on NBC? They advertise that the stories, are “ripped from the headlines.” This simply means that the writers have taken an event that really happened as the basis for creating the fictionalized program you are about to see.

Most of us have seen “The Sound of Music” which like the “Law & Order” shows was based on an historical event. This classic could have dwelt on the horrors of war, over emphasized the fear and hardship faced by the main characters. But it didn’t, rather it focused on the more positive aspects of the story while still acknowledging the reality of the situation.

Our imagination is like a screen writer. It takes something that is valid and creates storylines for our mental television screen. Let’s say you feel you are in a dead-end job. Allowing your imagination to do the “Law & Order” fictionalizing of your job, the show you constantly watch in your mind (and the soundtrack you play in your mental ears) will probably portray you as being trapped in an endless maze of humdrum routine. This reinforces your feelings of frustration and hopelessness.

But if you direct your screen writer to take your “dead-end job” and create a “Sound of Music” mental story instead of a “Law & Order” type of story, the way you view your dead-end job will be totally different. It will be different because of the slant of the story, which will allow you to see possible ways out of your situation (creative ability combined with the ability to confront and deal with a problem). For example, instead of wallowing in the self-pity a humdrum job brings on, you start taking stock of what you have to offer an employer. Next you approach management, present your case and ask for more responsibilities. If that fails, armed with your “Sound of Success” mental movie, you begin a discreet job search.

What’s holding you back?
There are obstructions to everyone’s efforts to reach goals, attain greater happiness and success, find deeper fulfillment or find peace of mind. But the perception of the barriers ability to limit us resides in our imagination. And we have the ability to rewrite the script into one that emphasizes potentials, opportunities and a positive outcome.
Have a Great and Profitable Week!
Robert Hidde bob@confidentliving.com