Fuel Your Imagination: How to Support Your Ideas and Cultivate Creativity Skills | Short Story |

How do we welcome creative living into our life?

I firmly believe that ideas are the little gifts we receive daily, often multiple times each day. They are doorways, opening up pathways to enrich our lives and offering opportunities to contribute positively to humanity and its growth. Through ideas, we shape the world around us. Ideas help us become better people; they inspire innovation and drive us forward. Through ideas, we evolve.

When you are gifted with an idea, when your mind is continually active, urging you toward creativity and invention, you become a creator—someone who shapes life itself, someone who contributes meaningfully to humanity. You become the architect of your own future and that of others.

I passionately believe that creativity is a powerful gateway towards self-actualisation and a meaningful life. Engaging in purposeful work, meaningful not only to yourself but beneficial to humanity as a whole, is fundamentally rooted in creativity. It is for these reasons that I am a dedicated advocate for nurturing creativity and developing ideas.

Developing ideas directly aligns with the concept of self-actualisation in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which is positioned at the apex of the pyramid. Maslow emphasised that self-actualisation involves realising personal potential, seeking personal growth, and finding authentic self-expression. Ideas stimulate this process by encouraging us to question, create, and innovate, thus moving us towards deeper fulfilment and purpose. By actively cultivating our ideas, we don't just achieve personal satisfaction; we also create meaningful impacts that resonate throughout society, fulfilling both our highest personal aspirations and contributing to the greater good of humanity.

But what if we don't nurture the ideas that come to us, and we keep telling ourselves “tomorrow, tomorrow” – but tomorrow only leads us deeper into the dungeons of illusion?

"Tomorrow" drives us entirely into these dungeons – the illusion that something will change. But tomorrow arrives as yet another tomorrow, and so we keep saving ourselves with a promise that never truly comes.

These dungeons of illusion pull us ever deeper, because with each passing day it becomes harder to open that Word document and write the first sentence of the dreamt-of book. Harder to sing that cherished song, to start that business, to change jobs, to take that dream trip around the world. The longer we postpone our ideas and dreams, the further down we descend into those dungeons. And each tomorrow is just another step lower – until the light begins to fade. Until the signs of new ideas, new hopes for change, disappear.

And after years of descending, we find ourselves so far from our dreams and ideas that all that remains is darkness and the bottom of the stairs. Then comes the time to pack up and leave this world.

The Lady of Death will come sooner or later. But how sad would it be to find ourselves already at the bottom of the dungeon – as if each day we had been calling her closer? As if we had stolen our own dreams, step by step, every time we said, “Tomorrow.”

That is why I wrote this little story – to encourage you to believe in your ideas before the light goes out.

At the end of the day: We're only here for a short while.

Have you ever wondered how some people make their way up to the creative dreamland?

Hmm, let me tell you a little story about Joe and his journey to the dreamland.

Creativity.

 "

Joe’s dream was to reach the City of Dreamford. In Dreamford, everybody’s dreams become reality, and people live happily ever after.

One day, a lady named Idea knocked on Joe’s door and shouted, "Anybody there?" Silence. Idea felt ignored; even the echo didn’t bother to respond. However, Idea was stubborn and tried again the following weekend. She thought perhaps Joe might welcome her this time, as it was the weekend. So, Lady Idea returned and knocked on Joe's door the following Saturday.

Joe shouted through the closed door, "Who is it?" Lady Idea responded, "It’s me, the Great Idea!"

Joe replied, "You’re bothering me at the weekend; I need to rest now. Can you visit again?"

Idea became upset, as this was the second time she had been rejected. She said, "This is the second time I'm visiting. I came during the week, but you didn't open the door then either."

"Sorry, Idea, I was busy," said Joe. "I'm very busy; I have no time for random visitors."

Idea explained, "But I've heard you'd like to get to Dreamford. My friend Motivation asked me to visit you and show you the way forward—the way forward to Dreamford. I thought I'd be warmly welcomed. Motivation said you're ready for me to visit."

Then Joe said, "Yes, but not today. Please come another day. Come tomorrow"

Idea was upset and returned to her friend Motivation, saying, "You told me Joe was ready for me. You said you're a frequent visitor and that Joe is ready for my visit."

Motivation replied, "Yes, I often visit Joe, and we get along very well. He seems ready for the journey to Dreamford."

Idea responded, "Well, he wasn't. Next time—if I feel like visiting again—make sure you're already there, waiting for me with tea and a red carpet."

Motivation was upset that Joe had treated her friend Idea this way. Motivation visited Joe and said, "What on earth are you doing, man? My friend Idea is a well-known lady in Dreamford. She knows others who can help you get to Dreamford, but she needs to see your commitment. Yet, when she visited, you let her go."

Joe said, "Sorry, Motivation. You're a great friend, and you've inspired me to do many great things, but I'm not sure if Dreamford is right for me. I'm not sure I want to take that journey. You told me how demanding your friend Idea is, how much effort I'll need to put in, and how many compromises I'll need to make to join Idea on the journey to Dreamford."

Motivation knew Joe well and believed he was worth it. Her intuition suggested that Joe had another visitor shortly after Idea’s first visit. Motivation confronted Joe: "Hey man, don't give me this weak excuse. Let me guess—did your mate Fear visit you recently? I warned you not to hang out with that bloke. I told you Courage, the queen of Dreamford, has closed her door to Fear and his friends. You must choose carefully whom you associate with.

So, listen closely:

The first step to reaching Dreamford is to welcome Idea into your home and heart with an open door. Make Idea a nice cup of tea, and make her feel comfortable to visit again. As you welcome Idea with a smile, she'll bring her best friends along next time—Curiosity, Opportunity, and Eureka! When Opportunity feels comfortable in your home, she'll introduce you to her friends Joy and Confidence. Finally, when Idea’s friends trust you're fully committed and ready, they'll show you the way forward. Then, with the company of Idea's friends and your full dedication, Courage will open the gates to her kingdom—the City of Dreamford. That’s where you're heading: Dreamford."

Motivation then left Joe, who promised to think carefully about whether he truly wanted to journey to Dreamford.

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Just as with Joe, somewhere out there, ideas are waiting patiently for you to be ready. So, get off the sofa and start taking action—do something, anything. Start small, start foolishly, start ridiculously if you must—but just start.

Begin. Begin small. Give it a go. Have fun experimenting. Start somewhere, anywhere. Write the title if you can’t manage the entire book. Record that video or at least open iMovie. Book that trip, or at least pick up a map. Move to that new city, or at least visit somewhere new. Paint that masterpiece, or at the very least buy a canvas. Enrol in that course, or at least attend a trial session.

Time will pass quickly whether you act or not. You will grow older regardless. And someday you'll ask yourself why you haven’t started yet. More people might tell you your ideas are nonsense, and the longer you wait, the older and more disappointed you may feel.

But remember—somewhere out there, incredible ideas are still patiently waiting for you to welcome them into your life. I promise!

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Some time ago, I created the concept of Dreamford. That was the title of my first book, but it was also a meaningful idea in itself. Dreamford is a village—a place where our dreams can become reality, our ultimate destination, the place of our deepest desires. It’s a place where we can live happy, purposeful lives—a desired place to settle and a community where our dreams flourish.

If you find yourself in a crisis, if you're navigating through changes, or if your life feels frozen—just like life had frozen in the city of Dreamford—I strongly recommend you read the story Dreamford: Live, Work and Live with Purpose. It’s a short parable about reclaiming your purpose and regaining happiness in your life, offering guidance and encouragement to help you on your journey toward your own personal Dreamford.

Download the short story here as eBook.

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