Live out of your imagination, not your history
Stephen Covey was a best-selling author and motivational speaker who died earlier this week from complications after a fall he took back in April. He was a Mormon, and held a lot of views that I didn’t agree with (his stance against gay marriage was one of them), but his line “live out of your imagination, not your history” really struck a chord with me.
Imagination (Photo credit: four12)
We often base most things we do on past experiences. For instance, if we try a dish from a certain type of cuisine, and we don’t like it, we automatically assume that everything that falls under that group is inedible. Do we really know that we are going to dislike everything that’s on the menu if we haven’t bothered trying it? No, of course not. And if you think you do, then you are kidding yourself. You never know unless you try.
Instead of living our lives based on past experiences, we need to use our imaginations and explore. We need to become open to new experiences and ways of thinking. Doing this allows us to grow as human beings. Our lives become richer, more interesting and fulfilling. We can live up to our full potential instead of just settling for whatever comes our way.
Are you living out of your imagination? Are you willing to explore the unknown and live the life that you want to live instead of just the same old, same old that other people expect out of you? Please tell us about your experiences by leaving a comment below! I look forward to your feedback!
Related articles
- Stephen R. Covey: 1932 – 2012 (runwinedinerepeat.wordpress.com)
- The Power of Really Listening: A tribute to Stephen Covey (leaderchat.org)
- Use your imagination! (noemifairy.wordpress.com)
The Daily Hottentots 
carolinaheartstrings
/ July 20, 2012Yes, yes, yes! Dreams and taking on something new are fuel for me.
Angie Hottentots-Laurel
/ July 20, 2012Me too! It’s good for your mind and body to follow your dreams.
oouchan
/ July 20, 2012I have always used my imagination…it’s the safest place, the warmest and it lets me be who I want. This helps me daily achieve what I want in the “real world”. 🙂
Angie Hottentots-Laurel
/ July 20, 2012Absolutely! It’s great when you can apply your imagination to real world situations.
knittinggalore
/ July 20, 2012Oh yes! I decided to live my dream 12 yrs ago when I upped sticks and left the UK to live in Turkey and am still living in that dream with new ones too.
Angie Hottentots-Laurel
/ July 20, 2012That’s wonderful! 🙂 I’ve always wanted to go to Turkey for a visit. The architecture there is amazing. I’m going to put it on my to-do list…give myself five years (or less) to plan a trip.
Dot HUrley
/ July 20, 2012I most definitely agree. I go by the saying ‘if you can imagine it then you can achieve it’. I believe we can re-invent ourselves whenever we want – we just need the imagination to see it. Think outside the box, or the world will never change
Angie Hottentots-Laurel
/ July 20, 2012Thanks for stopping by, Dot! And I agree with being able to re-invent ourselves whenever we want. It’s OUR life, we should live it on OUR terms, don’t you think? We shouldn’t just sit back and accept a bad hand we’ve been dealt. We should keep going until we get the ace in the hole.
athenabrady1
/ July 20, 2012Hi Angie, another great post. I just dropped by to tell you that I have nominated you for ‘The Fabulous Blogger’ award here is the link
http://wp.me/p2zG6L-4t
Angie Hottentots-Laurel
/ July 20, 2012Again, thanks so much! I saw the post on my news feed on Facebook! 😀
Leslie
/ July 21, 2012Hopped over from SITS; and so glad for it! What a fantastic post! I probably don’t use my imagination enough…but there’s never a bad time to start, right?
Angie Hottentots-Laurel
/ July 21, 2012No, there is never a bad time to start!
barefoot_med_student
/ July 21, 2012I’ve read Stephen Covey, but now you taught me three things about him I didn’t know (I didn’t know he had passed on, either…).
Great thoughts here, I love the question… and I think you’re right. We seem wired to learn from experience, but maybe sometimes we should bypass that wiring.
Visiting from SITS.
Angie Hottentots-Laurel
/ July 21, 2012Thank you very much for dropping by!
And I most definitely believe that we should bypass that wiring. Some people don’t think it is possible, but I found out in my late 20s that it is completely possible to reverse almost anything you’ve been conditioned to believe.
Amy Putkonen
/ July 21, 2012This is a great tribute to Stephen Covey,Angie. I actually found you on the SITS Girl page but I laughed because I also saw your post on the Ultimate Blog Challenge page! lol.. I like the way you think!
Angie Hottentots-Laurel
/ July 21, 2012Thanks so much for dropping by Amy! The internet is a small world, isn’t it? 😀 I’m glad that you liked this post.
Sheila Skillingstead
/ July 21, 2012I also have enjoyed Covey and was sad at his passing. I explored your website and love the green and how you’ve got three related but separate post strands. I’m new to blogging but not writing. You have a good voice.
Visiting from SITS.
Angie Hottentots-Laurel
/ July 21, 2012Thanks very much for dropping by from SITS, Sheila! I appreciate all the nice things you’ve said. 😀 It’s very encouraging at a time I’m going through a slump of sorts. I’m just glad that I have managed to keep a blog for more than a month! Posting here is great fun.
Chaz DeSimone
/ June 18, 2014Angie, I discovered your blog via, of all things, searching for Larry Semon’s derby for a glass lantern slide I’m restoring. (I restore and recreate silent film titles as one area of my graphic design business.) Your story about Mr. Semon was enlightening.
But what I really want to say is that your article about Mr. Covey’s quote “Live out of your imagination, not your history” might get me through my devastation of losing everything I had in storage, treasures from my past and ideas for my future. I am suicidal at this loss, but am holding on for the sake of some sort of revelation or miracle occurring from the loss. (Truly, a chunk of my life and my soul was auctioned off that day. And it was due to a snafu of payment being 10 minutes late.)
You are the first person I have admitted to that I might accept what has happened as a positive fate, although at this moment all I want on my gravestone are the words “I want my stuff back.”
Whatever slump you mentioned above, which was 2 years ago, I hope has passed, as you have elevated me a notch from mine.