When I was a kid, I played all sorts of games of imagination. I could be any profession that was interesting. I could own anything I dreamed of. And I could travel to any place in the universe. Then I became a young adult and it was time to "get practical" about my future. Dreaming and imagination were relegated to my "spare time," which diminished rapidly as I got older!

But now I understand the immeasurable value of imagination. It isn't frivolity or being unrealistic. I realize it's the beginning of the creation process - it's the spark that ignites possibilities in our lives. At one time, curing disease and sending people into space was pure imagination. Now we take it for granted. Imagination is always available to us, and actually is always present.

And now the science is catching up with our imaginations! Scientists are now able to watch our brains work (that can be a scary thought!) and are making amazing discoveries. For example, imagining that you are seeing something that fires off the same pattern of neurons as if you physically saw the item. We know that the more you imagine something, and the more senses you use to imagine it (see, smell, hear, etc.) the more new neurological connections are formed, and the more your brain supports that imagined scenario in your mind. Just imagine: daydreaming is forming new neurological associations in your brain!

So how can you use imagination in your life? First, make the time, even in little segments, to allow your imagination to "take flight." Don't limit your imagination to "practical" things - let that imagination take you to exciting possibilities.

Second, imagine those possibilities with every one of your senses. What does that imagined situation look like, what do you hear, what do you smell, what do you taste, what are you feeling? Make it as real as you can, and amplify it so that the emotion intensifies. If that imagined situation is exciting, what could you add to make it even more exciting, even more dramatic and memorable? The more emotion, and the more thoughts, the more new and strong connections you'll create to that situation in your mind. It's actually beginning the process of making that thing physically real in your brain.

Next, write down as much of that imagined situation as you can. Include what your senses detected, and how it all felt. Play it like a movie, and write each of the steps. This is the second step of making imagination real. Now there's even more substance to your imagined situation. Engaging the body creates even more and different types of neurological connections.

If you can, find someone to tell your story to. Don't let them judge it or change it, just ask them to participate as if it had already happened. Ask them to share your emotions, whether it's joy, excitement, love, whatever. Now you've anchored this even more fully in your brain, and you've made it real in yet another way. The key here is not to let yourself or anyone else block the positive thoughts and energy, but to treat it as reality.

And finally, ask yourself what one thing you could do to continue to move this dream forward in the traditional, physical way. Even the smallest step of doing some research, learning a skill, or contacting a person, can continue the process of making imagination a reality.

I have my own example of turning imagination into reality. When I first decided to become a coach I was working a 45+ hour-a-week job. With the additional activities of coaching school and starting to coach my own clients, I found myself running about 16 hours a day. I wrote down "my ideal day," where I imagined having time to myself, coaching a little, writing a little, spending time with friends, etc. My dream was about as far from reality as one could imagine. In my frantic situation, I put the exercise away and forgot about it. One year later, as I was sitting in my home office doing exactly what I had described in my ideal day, I realized what had happened. I had created my ideal lifestyle without even realizing it! I had forgotten about the exercise, but my brain hadn't lost the associations I created by doing the exercise. One thought at a time, one choice at a time, one action at a time, I had turned imagination into reality.

What is YOUR dream, that you haven't even imagined yet? By all means, take some time and just imagine!