Imagination Travels According To Habit

Our subject today is a quote from Neville Goddard.

A quote that is, in fact, several quotes, each one stitched together.

You can find, within this quote, the statement “Imagination travels according to habit.”

Right below this introduction, you will find that statement, and the rest of the quote.

Our intention is to consider what this means and, then, how to move beyond our habits of imagining.

You see, our imagination is a force that shapes our life and, if we can create new, healthier habits, we can live a healthier, richer, and far more blessed life.

“Imagination is not entirely untrammeled and free to move at will without any rules to constrain it. In fact, the contrary is true. Imagination travels according to habit. Imagination has choice, but it chooses according to habit. Awake or asleep, man’s imagination is constrained to follow certain definite patterns. It is this benumbing influence of habit that man must change; if he does not, his dreams will fade under the paralysis of custom.”

Our Patterns Of Imagining

No matter who you are, or what you do, you are always imagining.

Or, at least, you are, within the context that Neville Goddard defines.

You see, according to Goddard, that which you feel and experience, in any form, within yourself is an act of imagining.

So, an assumption or a prediction that evokes some feeling — fear, perhaps, or happiness — is an imaginal act.

Your imaginal acts shape your experiences.

You experience yourself in the way that you imagine yourself. You experience your life in the way you imagine your life.

Or, at least, that is what Goddard believed and, in my experience, there is truth to this notion.

Regardless of whether this is universally true or not, the presence/power of our imagination ties in with the quote above for one very simple reason; we are our habits.

No, that is not true.

We are not our habits.

Rather, we are beings of grand creative power and potential, capable of being and experiencing that which we truly desire.

But, that being said, it’s easy to lose sight of this truth.

To lose sight of this truth and fall into habits and patterns of imagining that lead us to more of the same.

To assume that our habits of imagining and experiencing and living are, in fact, who we are and who we will always be.

Granted, more of the same can be quite good.

If you’re doing well, then more of the same may be just right.

For many of us, though, more of the same is less-than-ideal.

Many of us would prefer not to deal with the same inconveniences and blockages that continually lead us where we’ve been and where we would prefer not to be.

You can apply this to the circumstances of your life.

Just as an example, you may be in a job you dislike or find it difficult to find a loving partner.

You possess the power to go beyond both of these circumstances. Just as you also possess the power to go beyond what you assume is attainable and realistic for you.

For you to do this, though, you must direct your imagination towards something new.

You must develop new habits of imagining and, in doing so, your life will change.

Asking New Questions About What You Want

Our imagination travels according to habit and these habits come from assumptions.

You can question your assumptions and, in doing so, give birth to new habits.

Rather than engaging in an elaborate process of “questioning your assumptions” and “reprogramming your mind” — not that there’s anything wrong with either of those — you can ask open-ended questions that allow new possibilities to arise.

Right before you do this, though, you must know what you want.

Just as an example, if you want a remote job that is easy and allows you to earn money, ask “Why?”

No matter what your answer is, it is valid and worth heeding.

Returning to our example, the “Why?” might be “I want to travel and earn money, while also experiencing a sense of financial security and personal success.”

Good answers. Great answers, even.

Right after you come to your “Why?” you may want to ask another question. A question that goes something like “Do I need a remote job to do this?”

The answer, of course, is “No.”

Remote work may appear to be the easiest, and most accessible, way of doing this. But, it is not, in fact, the only way — or, perhaps, even the best way — of realizing your intentions.

Rather, there are many, many avenues from which your wishes can become a reality. And “wishes” is plural because remote work is seen as an avenue through which several wishes — traveling, financial security, and success — are meant to come.

You can, with the knowledge of what it is that you truly want, focus on what you really want.

Just as an example, you can focus on enjoying some lovely, lovely travel experiences.

You can focus on feeling financially secure and experiencing a sense of pride regarding your success.

Since our imagination travels according to habit, our wishes are often confined to that which appears attainable and realistic.

On a general level, this refers to wishes being confined to another set of wishes that appears to be the conduit from which some other, greater wish can arise.

On a deeper level, this refers to the ways in which we confine our deepest dreams and limit our creative abilities.

No matter what it is that you desire, though, make sure you know what it is and why you want it.

Doing so makes the next step of this process considerably easier.

Asking New Questions About What Is Possible

Right after you know what you want, you can begin asking questions about those desires.

“What if?” questions seem to work the best for this particular process.

Returning to our earlier example, some “What if?” questions you can ask include:

• What if I was earning money while traveling, without working a job?
• What if I had more than enough money to travel for years and live well while doing so?
• What if I was able to make money — more than enough to live well — with my hobbies?
• What if I was already financially secure?
• What if I had just spent several years traveling and became wealthier while doing so?

Some of these are definitely better than others. But, each one serves the same purpose, which is that of giving you the freedom you need to imagine something new.

Something new that may, or may not, be particularly desirable.

You may find that asking these questions conjures possibilities that are of little interest to you.

You may find that asking these questions conjures possibilities that excite you.

No matter what you find, try to make a note of it.

You may find that some of the possibilities that come from asking these questions excite you. But, at the same time, these possibilities seem remote and inaccessible.

If this is the case, then please make a note of it.

Right after you make a note of it, ask a new question.

A new question that goes something like “What if this was possible and what if I was doing it right now?”

And, after that, “What would this be like? What would I be experiencing? What would I be doing? What would I be enjoying?”

Every single one of these questions will conjure a wealth of new possibilities.

Pursue the possibilities that excite you.

Give yourself permission to imagine them and experience them as a reality, even if they do not, at this point in time, seem possible.

You may find that the wishes you’ve imagined fail to become the facts of your life.

Or, you may find that these wishes have, in fact, become a fact of your life.

Of course, there are other possibilities, as well; your wishes may evolve and grow, in ways that lead to something even more beautiful and exciting.

No matter what, though, give yourself permission to imagine something new and exciting; something beautiful, something that resonates with you.

Please, give yourself permission to do that.

You never know what might happen or what you might create.

Conclusion

Some of the core concepts in this essay may be a little muddled or unclear. But, my hope is that the central concept — giving yourself permission to, essentially, dream bigger — is as clear as it can be.

You are a creative being, my friend, and you can be who you wish to be and live the life you wish to live.

Please remember that and, to borrow a remarkably tired phrase, please follow your heart.

No matter what you choose to do, though, thank you so much for reading this essay!

As always, if you want to reach me, for any reason at all, you can do so at “maxwellcakin@gmail.com!”