Pursuing Your Passions with Creative Imagination

In my post I am working my dream job!, I talk about how I have finally found the activity that truly makes me very happy AND I was able to turn into a viable business. I believe most of us in mid-life don’t have the patience to work at a meaningless job. We want to find fulfillment in what we do. Silver & Grace author, Beth Willis Miller, provides a method for getting at what you are truly passionate about.

The formulation of a problem is often more essential than its solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skill. To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old questions from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science.—Albert Einstein

When I served as the Florida Department of Education State Consultant for Gifted Education, I was frequently asked to provide technical assistance to school districts regarding strategies to improve creative and critical thinking skills for students. In this article, I have identified some of those terrific strategies to inspire us to pursue our passions by thinking creatively using our imagination. Imagination is a powerful entity. It can cause the hair on the back of our neck to stand up, our spirit to soar, or our face to blush. Imagination is the power that holds our beliefs together; we believe with our imagination. Imagination is the wellspring of faith and hope. Our biggest and best dreams for ourselves and others rise from the imagination.

Why not think about applying the power of your creative imagination to inspire you as you pursue your passions? Kick-off your creative imagination about your passion with several “In What Ways Might I” creative thinking questions related to your passion. Reword the question several different times, writing down whatever comes to your mind, such as:

• In What Ways Might I pursue my passion for…
• In What Ways Might I more effectively pursue my passion for…
• In What Ways Might I find more time to pursue my passion for…
• In What Ways Might I find encouragement to pursue my passion for…
• In What Ways Might I find money to pursue my passion for…
• In What Ways Might I find opportunities to pursue my passion for…

Keep asking yourself this open-ended “In What Ways Might I” question related to your passion, allowing your creative imagination to flow from your mind onto the page. You will be amazed at how your continual re-wording of the question will increase your creative thinking skills of Fluency, Flexibility, Originality, and Elaboration—the four primary strategies for developing and improving creative thinking or imagination as you connect your creative imagination to pursuing your passions.

Strategies for Identifying and Developing Imagination

Fluency is the ability to think of many answers to a question, to list many possible solutions to a problem, or to generate a number of responses. Fluency is being able to think of lots of plans or ideas. You are fluent when you can:

• Think of a long list of reasons for…
• Make a very long list of…
• List many uncommon uses for…

Flexibility is the ability to change your way of thinking about a problem or situation. It is the ability to think of alternative ideas and to adapt to different situations. You are flexible when you can:

• Think of an alternative to…
• Think of another way to…
• Invent an interesting way to…

Originality is the ability to think of fresh or unusual designs, ideas, responses, or styles. People who are original are independent and creative in their thoughts and actions. They create things that are new, different, or unique. You are original when you can:

• Suggest a unique name for…
• Devise a tool that will help…
• Design a…

Elaboration is the process of expanding an idea by adding detail. To elaborate, you must understand the original idea and see a way to clarify or improve it by adding specific details. You are elaborating when you add to, enlarge, enrich, or expand descriptions, designs, drawings, explanations, instructions, reports or stories. You are using elaboration when you can:

• Add extra details to…
• Tell more about…
• Explain the instructions to…

This is your time, this is the day, right now,. Choose to use your creative imagination to spur you on to pursue your passions. Remember, your imagination is a powerful entity, your biggest and best dreams rise from your imagination. Begin today to ask the open-ended “In What Ways Might I” question related to your passion, and you will be amazed at how your creative thinking skills of Fluency, Flexibility, Originality, and Elaboration expand and enhance your imagination as you are energized to pursue your passions with enthusiasm.

I would love to hear your thoughts:

• Do you take concrete steps to pursue your passions, or is it more like a nagging feeling floating around in the background?

More information!

Beth Willis Miller, M. Ed., is a wife, mom, writer, and former Florida Department of Education State Consultant for Gifted Education. She can be found at beth willis miller’s blog

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