"What we need most, is not so much to realize the ideal as to idealize the real," said H.F. Hedge.
Ideals arise from our use of imagination.
Our imaginations can create unbelievable worlds to live in. They empower us to make sense of descriptions remote to our times or foreign to our experience.
When reading Plato, we may visit an Ancient Greece we never actually knew; and when hearing a lecture on Quantum Physics, we may see the interaction between subatomic particles even though they are invisible to the naked eye.
Using imagination, Mozart heard silent music and the Wright brothers created a vehicle that could fly through the skies.
Using imagination, Tesla simulated electrical devices that he later brought into physical manifestation.
Einstein considered imagination more important than knowledge.
Our imagination uses what we do know and reconfigures the remembered sense images into something unique.
Imagination more than any other aspect of our minds has created us as an intelligent species and woven a civilized world around us.
Unfortunately, like all other things in this realm of duality, imagination, too, has its shadow side.
The most familiar aspect of the shadow side of imagination is the creation of neurotic thought patterns, such as regretting the past or fearing the future.
Idealism, an aspect, of imagination, nestles in a gray light. The bright side of idealism is that it creates a target to raise us above our present standard. The shadow side of idealism is that we tend to disdain the permutations of reality and create frustrating expectations.
Our idealism turns against us when we mistake our image for reality. When this happens we are caught up in a neurotic loop of perfectionism. At it's extreme, perfectionism is a form of insanity called obsessive-compulsive behavior.
It is when we start to feel that what we are and what we do is "not good enough" that we start to dip into the shadows. Life is messy, flawed, and imperfect, and when we place demands on reality that can't be met then we set ourselves up for frustration, disappointment, and illusory hardship.
The antidote to the extremes of idealism is realism or simply appreciating what is. In a forest, for example, all trees are beautiful, and it is only an arbitrary distinction to say that only trees that are straight are worthy of our admiration. Similarly, in life, many things are attractive, both in nature and in our own man-made world, and it does not benefit us to always draw rigid lines on how things should be.
An ideal is like the horizon. We will never reach the horizon, no matter how fast we travel because it always recedes. However, the journeying does us good. When we can appreciate how far we've come from where we used to be, then we start to benefit from our journey.
Idealism, when tempered with realism, creates a satisfying outcome to any endeavor.
Accepting what is, letting reality be itself, is a beautiful thing.
Resource Box
Saleem Rana got his masters in psychotherapy from California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, Ca., 15 years ago and now resides in Denver, Colorado. His articles on the internet have inspired over ten thousand people from around the world. Discover how to create a remarkable life
Copyright 2005 Saleem Rana. Please feel free to pass this article on to your friends, or use it in your ezine or newsletter. It's a shareware article.
What would your life be like if you kept doing... Read More
You can forget about making New Year's Resolutions if you're... Read More
The minute you set a goal, you are creating a... Read More
Do you have a desire? Silly question I know because... Read More
We all have goals and dreams that we want to... Read More
Treasure Map Your Success for 2005Treasure-mapping is the process of... Read More
Is it possible for an individual to pass a course... Read More
Goal-pool with friends or acquaintances Get together with a group... Read More
Years ago, people came to America in pursuit of their... Read More
Many of us waste too much time envying others instead... Read More
Are you ready to learn how to finally turn your... Read More
Have you ever had someone ask you to do some... Read More
There's been a lot written about goal setting and there... Read More
Everyone has something in their life that they would like... Read More
You have a choice it would seem ? you can... Read More
Have you seen those ads that promise to make thousands... Read More
It has been said that 60-80% of New Year's resolutions... Read More
If you have always been procrastinating on how to get... Read More
Have you ever wondered why some people are just naturally... Read More
Have you ever noticed? There are some people who seem... Read More
You may or may not have a set of written... Read More
Have you ever had something you wanted just fall into... Read More
"Excellence is never an accident; it is always the result... Read More
Perhaps you have never taken a stock of the most... Read More
And if Bull frogs had wings they wouldn't bump their... Read More
Your business can't go according to plan if you have... Read More
Some may think that the change from paucity or 'the... Read More
One of the things that frustrated me while in school... Read More
Last year, I attended a seminar where the attendees were... Read More
Commit it to paper - You have the idea so... Read More
Many motivational speakers and self-help books will tell you that... Read More
Have you ever heard the old saying If you want... Read More
No matter how ambitious your goal, you CAN achieve it.... Read More
Everything is in flow here in Northern Michigan. Buckets of... Read More
It happens a lot 'round about now. One by one... Read More
DEVELOPING A GOAL-SETTING CHECKPOINT: The process of developing meaningful goals... Read More
Where Does Money Fit In the Goal Setting Process?Some view... Read More
So, a New Year has snuck up on you again... Read More
In a nutshell, having an inspired, world-changing goal is the... Read More
Most people have no problem setting goals. At the same... Read More
Is it possible for an individual to pass a course... Read More
(Channelled) (This communication with Joseth happened more than a year... Read More
Setting goals is wonderful; it confirms that we've taken those... Read More
Examine your own personal goals and find methods to achieve... Read More
All goals take time to accomplish. But most people are... Read More
At this point in time you have an opportunity to... Read More
Many have goals, but few reach them all. Businesses like... Read More
It's time to change the way we think and speak... Read More
Probably the hardest skill to teach, and the one of... Read More
Do you find yourself amazed at how quickly the months... Read More
Setting goalsSetting personal and business goals are a must if... Read More
When you map out what you want, you let go... Read More
Think for a moment about your Self. Is there something... Read More
The first step to success, of course, is to set... Read More
What's your dream? Want to give your vision a jumpstart?... Read More
Let's face it. Overcoming procrastination can be a challenge if... Read More
I recently spent some time revising my personal vision/mission statement... Read More
Like the song by Linda Ronstadt, "a dream is a... Read More
Goal-mapping is like a treasure hunt, you must first start... Read More
So you've got a goal, and you know someone who... Read More
It is known that the human body sends out vibrations:... Read More
To have a goal is like having a road map.... Read More
The Focus Wheel was first described by Abraham-Hicks as a... Read More
Do you remember the last time you had a blast?... Read More
6.Recognise that all vision has seasonal components within it· Vision... Read More
In many of his wonderful talks the motivational speaker Zig... Read More
Goal Setting |