Inertia - Nº89

Don't imagine, make it happen

Photo by Anna Shvets

Close your eyes and imagine the very best version of you possible. That’s who you really are, let go of any part of you that doesn’t believe it.

— C Assaad

Life is a reminder that every one of us is unequivocally different. We’re born with different strengths and purposes to fulfil—even though, paradoxically, it can take a lifetime for some of us to know what they are.

Sure, our abilities and purposes are very different from person to person. And although some are more obvious than others, each one is equally important.

Who you really are should never be left to your imagination, whether that’s because you’re afraid of judgement or find it averse to the image you think you should have. Don’t just imagine it. My biggest failure (perhaps so far) was I spent several years imagining the person I wanted to be in the outer world—but was too afraid to let that version of me exist. But slowly, very slowly, over the last few years, I’ve let it grow stronger. And each time, I feel better because of it.

I’ve lost count of the conversations I’ve had speaking about getting everything we ever wanted—but feeling like, or one of us saying it’s nothing but a pipe dream. Yet makes you think. Why do I just have to imagine this? More and more people are out there earning the life of their dreams—making it happen—and have stopped imagining, and made it all happen. Much of this we don’t see. It reminds me of something Alan Turing’s character said in the Imitation Game:

Sometimes it’s the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.

It stands out to me for two reasons:

One: it’s a reminder that we should never underestimate people or ourselves. We should never pre-judge anyone’s abilities because so often in life will you never expect how you or someone else could end up changing the world.

Two: We all need to be careful of how much we discount our worth. We often diminish our own powers because we assume things are too hard, or above our capacity to handle. So, we stop ourselves from trying new things out of the fear that we are not someone who can accomplish it. Additionally, we don’t give ourselves the credit to enjoy being that person who can do things no one can imagine.

The takeaway is that our imagination is worth pursuing, even if we fail.

You may not always have a comfortable life, and you will not be able to solve the world’s problems all at once, but don’t underestimate the importance your imagination can have because history has shown us that the courage to make things happen can be contagious and create better lives on its own.

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What I’ve learned

Here are a few things I’ve learned lately:

The power of breath work

It sounds strange, but most people don’t know how to breathe correctly. More people struggle with this than I ever imagined, but there are simple steps to improve your breathing:

• Always focus on breathing through your nose, not your mouth. Even during exercise

• Practice regular breath work (I like the 4-4-4 technique)

• Slow it down

Character is who you are in the dark

I’ll write more on this in the next post. But it’s true that you are most yourself when nobody is watching. Dark and troubled times bring out a person’s true nature, and you can learn a lot when you realise who you are in these environments.

The strength you can find when alone

To varying degrees, we’re all afraid of being alone. I’m not afraid to admit it. But I’ve found a lot of strength during these times. It opens up more understanding about myself and helps me to create a stronger foundation for my future self.

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One Question for You

If you could take a long (2-4 hours) walk in any country in the world, where would you go?

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Thank you to everyone reading my work. More people have been doing that lately, and I appreciate every one of you.

Joxen.

PS: I published a new post on my sister eJournal. Check it out if you like. It’s free to read.