I have two young children who bring me inexpressible joy.

Like any parent, I could give a long, itemized list of all the “how’s” and “why’s” they make my heart soar. One trait I notice, when observing them and their friends, is their sheer power of imagination.

I’m fascinated at how my son rides his rocking horse and really believes he is galloping atop of Secretariat.

And, when my daughter plays “school,” I’d swear the other kids in the class were really there as she teaches the day’s lesson.

What is even cooler is how adults get drawn into these imaginary worlds. Jake has his uncle give him a leg up onto his trusty steed, while he imitates the sound of the bugle leading the horses onto the track. Meanwhile, Kate gets the grandparents to sit attentively as she teaches.

Childlike imagination is wondrous.
But, what purpose can these flights of fancy have for us adults?

Well, I recently came across a quote by George Bernard Shaw that surmises the power of imagination. Shaw infers, “Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and, at last, you create what you will.”

Imagination is the spark that lights the fires of our dreams. The fuel that powers us to become what we want to become. We imagine all the time, whether we notice it or not.

When we plan a vacation, buy a Powerball ticket, or read a bedtime story, we imagine. We ponder how our lives will change when we act on fulfilling our purpose. As Shaw’s quote points out, however, imagination can’t be idle skylarking. It needs to be pursued. It requires action to move from a daydream to desire and from a desire to reality.

Use your imagination, as well as your dreams, to envision the life you want to create. Then follow through, take ACTION, and materialize your wishes into a tangible and fruitful reality.

Life is a grand experience.
So much to see!
So much to learn!
So much to dream!

Imagine what you can accomplish. After all, the world is your horse race as you gallop toward your every whim…the classroom is where you dare to learn, teach, and inspire your limitless potential.

So, what wondrous ideas will you imagine and act upon today, tomorrow, or two months from now?

Live on Fire!

D. Luke Iorio, CPC, PCC, ELI-MP
President & CEO
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)

Author's Bio: 

Luke Iorio, CPC, PCC, ELI-MP, is President & CEO of the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), provider of the most comprehensive and experiential coach-training program in the world and originator of the Core Energy Coaching™ process. Since 2005, Luke and his team graduated more than 5,000 coaches and Coach Centric™ leaders across multiple platforms – top Fortune 500 execs, entrepreneurs, non-profit founders and educational leaders, and pro athletes. Luke has an avid interest in human potential, engagement and performance. Through coaching sessions with hundreds of clients as well as varied research projects, he seeks out the common threads that produce exceptional individual and team successes. His drive to learn these insights comes from being a dad to two fun-loving children and teaching them to live fully. In fact, Luke’s personal credo, “Live (and lead) on fire!” is omnipresent in everything he does!