The turn of the new year marks a doorway for many. The opportunity to reimagine who we are and what our life can be. Aristotle said, “The soul never thinks without a mental image”. Imagination might be the way to get closest to what our soul dreams for us and what our collective soul dreams for our world.

Over my years of working with leaders, teams, and organisations I have learnt that the questions we ask determine the quality and expansiveness of our imaginative capacity. Questions either limit or enliven possibility and imagination.

Imagination is at the core of all creative, innovative, and transformative efforts. Almost anything we have the potential to create, we must first be able to imagine. If we cannot imagine it, we cannot see, or believe it.

Unleashing imagination is most beneficial when we can do so without limiting constraints (as far as possible). As humans, our mind is constrained by our worldviews and beliefs. Learning to see beyond these constraints and developing the imagination is an essential capability developed by leaders fit to lead us into a kinder, more sustainable world.

Common constraints include:

1.    Thinking-feeling constraints (beliefs, worldviews, emotional reactions, values). These might include “I’m not good at x” or “I’m not that type of person”.

2.    Physical constraints (time, current capabilities, resources, structures, ways of working).

Our thoughts about these constraints often get in the way of participating productively with our creative imagination.

If you are looking to reimagine yourself or your wider world – experiment with the following:

1.    Engage in possibility thinking. Do not allow your mind to place constraints in the way of possibilities. For example:

·     Imagine if “xyz constraints” were not present (thinking-feeling or physical) what could be possible?

·     If we could do “xyz thing (you would like to do)” what could then be possible?

·     What would this liberate?…. Then what would be possible?

Possibility breeds possibilities – continue to imagine further. The experience of possibility thinking engages aspiration, inspiration, and imagination.

2.     Map current constraints (thinking-feeling and physical). Consider which limiting constraints you could influence or unlock. Constraints are not always negative or limiting possibilities. Consider what constraints would support possibilities coming to life.  Are there constraints you could create that would support the realisation of greater possibility?

3.    Consider and experiment with small, generative steps that make sense – keep taking further steps towards greater possibilities, considering, eliminating, transforming, and creating new constraints as you go.

For example, this year one of the possibilities I entertained in my reflection was to create more time for reading.  A constraint on this is other ways I spend my relaxation time. One of the ways is by watching television. A thinking-feeling constraint was linking watching television with relaxing.  I have started to shift this consciously by appreciating the relaxation that comes from reading. I created a physical constraint (a sarong over the television screen) which helps me to be more mindful about watching and reminds me to pick up a book instead. 2 weeks in I am already reading more (2.5 books read) and television time is less.

To realise new worlds inside of ourselves and in the broader world we interact with, we need to continue to feed possibility thinking and continually liberate ourselves from limiting internal, and external constraints. Supporting a context and environment that creates space for the world we imagine – where our imaginative possibilities come to life can be supported by introducing new constraints.

For example, the simple act of creating a physical constraint (sarong over the television) has made a subtle change in my environment which has helped me to engage in reading and other activities instead of television.

Variations on this process can be used by individuals, teams, and organisations.

An organisation I worked with was locked in a thinking-feeling constraint connected to delivering only what customers currently asked for rather than balancing this with innovation for a changing industry and world. Through possibility thinking, it was clear that innovating new technologies was essential today to set the company, their customers and the broader community up for a sustainable future.

By transforming constraints about how teams worked together to support greater collaboration and shared effort – and mentally and emotionally committing to support the possibilities generated through collective inspiration and imagination – they brought new products to market and simultaneously generated inspiring mindset shifts through the organisation and the wider industry.

As you reflect now and through the year (download a reflection guide here), I encourage you to springboard from the ideas outlined in this article in ways that work for you. Continue to imagine possibilities without the limitation of real and imagined constraints. Then work with constraints over time to actualise greater possibility and potential. This process liberates and enlivens that which is most important and inspirational for you.

Happy 2023!

With Love, Alison