How Imagination Changed My Life, and Could Change Yours!

Reinvention Takes Time and Effort, but Eventually Pays Off

Pic. 1. Inventor in her workshop. Can you re-invent yourself? From Freepik

Key Takeaways this week: (This is a longer blog, 10-12 minute read)

· Why imagination is essential for reinvention

· Reinvention may not pay well, but often has significant benefits

· How to live with less and roam with purpose

· Rediscover the joy that you had forgotten

Note: This blog is long because it explores multiple topics. If it is truncated in your email box, please go to Substack to read the full blog.

A word to the wise

We are going to discuss imagination today, a term that makes some people a bit uncomfortable. You might consider yourself to be a practical, no-nonsense person — grounded, realistic, even skeptical of imagination. I get it.

Pic. 2. A person using imagination. Photo, J. Balla

But let’s reframe it.

Imagination comes from the Latin word imaginatio, which means “to picture oneself.” How do you see yourself in your mind’s eye? Might you be able to see yourself in another way? What if the image you had of yourself is no longer valid, because of your circumstances?

You would either have to let go of the old image, or form a new self-image, or both.

You may prefer to use another word than imagination, such as vision for the future, or ingenuity, creativity, resourcefulness, thinking outside the box, thinking ahead, foresight, dreaming/daydreaming, inventiveness, or inspiration.

That’s fine. We are basically talking about imagination, but using different words for different reasons. Use the words that make you feel most comfortable.

Don’t Be Afraid to Dream

Leading researchers of imagination and inventiveness tell us we have two ways to view the world. One is our perception of reality, i.e., seeing what actually is. What exists? The other is to imagine things that do not yet exist, but may be possible. To dream. Change and ingenuity start with our imaginations.

If you are wary of your imagination, please give yourself permission to set it free. Unlike the story of Pandora’s Box, it is unlikely that you will set any demons free.

What Does Imagination Have to Do With Reinventing Yourself?

Let’s consider what happens when we try to reinvent ourselves without imagination.

Under pressure to find a new job, or to make other life changes, many of us react by pushing ourselves, working harder, searching listings, networking, meeting people for coffee, sending letters, thank-you notes, interviews, follow-up calls, and so on.

Being persistent helps, but we have to be careful not to push too hard and burn out.

Remember when you started out after HS or college, looking for that first job, and you had to sort through the myriad options and choose the best fit. It’s still that way. We must narrow our search from the initial infinite number of possibilities down to the realm of the practical and the possible.

How do we zoom in on what is right for us?

- We use our imaginations.

- We see a possibility that interests us, that seems to fit.

- We close our eyes and imagine ourselves doing something that feels right.

***

Let’s look at an example of how imagination motivates us. Cindy was a teacher and a competitive runner for decades. In her 50s, she got an idea. She wanted to run 50 half marathons in 50 weeks. She quit her job, got a van, and set off to accomplish her goal.

Pic. 3 Cindy at the finish line

Was it easy? No. She and her husband had to sell the house to finance the adventure. In the summer of 2022, we met in Upper Michigan. I was just starting out, and so were they. (In an upcoming blog post, I will feature an interview with Cindy and her husband, Dan.)

***

How many of us believe so strongly in what we want to do that we’d give up everything?

Believing matters. If you seek a new path, or career, or calling, it had better be something that motivates and fulfills you. Otherwise, work may be just a job, a place to spend your time, and collect a paycheck until the day when you can retire.

With luck, your imagination may help you stumble onto something that lights your fire, that gets you up in the morning, that keeps you going month after month, year after year.

Pic 4. Picture of me imagining a national book tour?

In May 2022, after writing my first book and watching it tank online, I heard a voice tell me to conduct a national tour to promote the book. The idea energized me. I overcame all obstacles in my path, because it mattered. The six-month tour turned me into a nomad.

The Latest Leg of My Nomadic Journey

If you read my previous posts, you may wonder where my dog and I are now after three years on the road, how it’s going, and why we haven’t given up and gone back home?

My dog, Mr. Bones, and I are now in the city of Calgary for the summer, in the Western Canadian province of Alberta. Calgary is a city of over 1.5 million people. Canada is different. They say, “Sorry” a lot. Canadians are ultra-polite; they love to apologize.

Pic. 5 Downtown Calgary from Bow River (my collection)

Why did we choose Calgary? We have no plug-in AC in the campervan, so we are weather-dependent, just like nomads who lived 10,000 years ago. Much of the continental U.S. gets hit with heat waves during the summer, making it impossible to sleep in the van at night.

We needed to find a place with a mild summer climate and discovered that Calgary is at 3,500 feet of elevation. Temperatures average about 15-20 degrees cooler up here. And it is about 300 miles north of the U.S. border, translating into much longer summer days, too.

Being weather-dependent is not a problem for us. It means that we have to find a summer place with good weather, even if that means traveling to another country for the season.

The point is, reinventing yourself may mean giving up certain things and making changes, possibly including where you live, how you live, and living on a reduced budget.

This may sound daunting, but consider what you may get in return for reinvention: Less stress, a better fit, a chance to start fresh in a new place, and so on.

Let’s take a closer look at what this might mean for you.

The New Me and the New You?

Pic. 6. A traditional desert nomad

What did it mean for me to become a nomad? Was it really a case of reinventing myself? What would it take for you to reinvent yourself?

Becoming a nomad after a lifetime of sedentary living was one of the most radical changes I could make. I gave up my home and gave up the idea of ever wanting a home again.

You may not want to become a nomad, but it has worked well for me so far. Your idea of reinvention will differ from mine. And that is a wonderful thing. We all get to choose.

I hope you will learn to free your imagination, and decide to trust it. It may help you find at least one new thing that feels just about perfect, that sets your mind on fire.

Imagination: there’s that strange word again. You say you don’t have any? But if you’ve ever fallen in love, you imagined that your new love was the most perfect person on earth.

Later experience usually proves that the other person is not as perfect as we imagined.

Try to imagine. Don’t be afraid to daydream, to doodle, to stop to smell the flowers, or to take a walk in a park. Try new things that allow you to use your imagination. You might discover you want to win a national Scrabble tournament, or learn to do speed quilting.

Pic. 7 Playing Scrabble. By Freysteinn Jonsson

Unfortunately, I don’t have a crystal ball to predict your future; neither do you. Open your mind, open your heart, consider everything, exclude nothing. Adventure awaits you.

How to Live with Less

What if reinvention leaves you happier but you have less income? Can you live with less?

Pic. 8 Tiny house. By Maria Gisladottir

The answer is simple: the less space you have, the less stuff you can keep. In 2023, I gave up my lease and got rid of almost everything I owned. The campervan I bought was so small that I could carry only essential items that we would use on the road.

As a start, think about downsizing. Ask yourself, do you need all the space and all the stuff you have acquired? Chances are, the bigger your home, the more stuff you own. Most of us are pack rats who cannot resist the temptation to buy and keep a few more precious things.

Ask yourself: Does owning a big home and having lots of things make you happy? For most of us, the answer is no. Happiness rarely comes from owning a lot of things.

Still, you can’t imagine giving up your home to become a nomad, traveling light and easy.

Why is that? If we were nomads for most of human history, why can’t we imagine it now? Get ready for a mind-blowing idea: You can’t think outside the box if you live in the box.

Living sedentarily since childhood makes it almost impossible for you to consider being a nomad. It took me six months on the road full time to imagine living as a nomad full-time.

Roaming with Purpose?

The verb to roam comes from an Old English word that meant to wander without a specific purpose or destination. Today, let’s think about roaming with purpose.

But let’s put our imaginations to work again to test out the idea of purposeful roaming?

Think about the last trip you took. Depending on how far you were going, and for how long, you packed one carry-on bag, and took maybe one or two checked bags. It was enough during the trip. And you didn’t miss home or your possessions while you were gone.

Pic. 9. Going on a Trip with Luggage. By Eminent Luggage.

You might have been preoccupied with the wonderful experiences of travel: new sights, sounds, and smells. You met people who lived differently and who spoke another tongue.

If you could enjoy that for two weeks or a month, why not three months, or for a year? And many of us feel sad when we return from a trip to find that life at home is still the same.

Most of us try to “roam” with purpose. We get up early every day and go to work. After stopping to gas up and buy groceries, we drive home at night. But is that really roaming? We often drive around in circles, on a daily basis, but we don’t go anywhere.

Imagine getting up tomorrow, starting the car, and driving to a place you have never seen — a national park, a mountain range, a desert, a picturesque coastline. You may encounter scenery that takes your breath away, and leaves you speechless. That is a sense of awe. For me, that is the magic of roaming: To experience awe. To shut up and be amazed.

Pic. 10 Athabasca River Falls from Jasper National Park (my collection)

Awe: A Short Word for a Powerful Feeling

My life now consists of visiting new places and seeing things my mind can’t comprehend. If you ever feel anxious, depressed, or afraid, try standing on a mountaintop staring at a new vista. You literally feel as if you are on top of the world, and experience a sense of awe.

Life without Imagination?

Are you still skeptical about the power and value of imagination? Here’s a question for you.

Can you imagine a life without imagination? You might not like it. Children would have no reason to play; we would not sustain the myth of Santa Claus any longer.

Without imagination, we would continue doing the same things with little innovation. We might still be using stone tools and living in caves. Why would we bother to change?

Aside from language and the human ability to use tools, imagination is a critical element that distinguishes human beings from all other animals; it is vitally important.

Still not able to activate your imagination? Try changing your daily routine. Talk to someone new or different, a child, or a stranger. Think about the interesting conversations you have.

Another goal of freeing your imagination is to help you break loose and move forward if you still feel stuck, bored, unfulfilled, or frustrated with your life.

I was at a breaking point in 2021 and escaped misery by deciding to write my life story.

Rediscover Joy

When was the last time you felt joy? Raw, unfiltered, unadulterated joy? A long time ago? If there is little joy in your life, something is not right. It’s time for a change.

One way to experience more joy is to try something new or to go somewhere new. Doing the same things over and over tends to become monotonous, predictable, and joyless.

In my college Intro to Economics class, the professor asked us a tough question. How many hamburgers would we buy if money were not an issue? Two, three, or more? We all love a good hamburger, but after the second one, they don’t taste as good. We stop buying.

Pic. 11. Trying to Eat Multiple Hamburgers

Life is this way. If we continue to do the same things over indefinitely, life loses the element of surprise. Even being forced to change your job or career may work out in the end.

However, change is scary for most of us. We often try to balance the desire for novelty with the safety and predictability of a long-term career. But what if a career ends suddenly?

I worked in global health for almost 40 years, but during COVID, my career slipped away. At first, I felt shocked and resentful. Eventually, I decided it was time to try other things.

Van life popped into my mind.

It may seem crazy to you, but for some reason, I was fearless about getting into van life. In my case, imagination set in and lit my mind on fire. Imagination overcomes all obstacles.

After years of stress and burnout, I was like a kid on Christmas morning, opening presents.

Isn’t It Hard to Reinvent Yourself?

It often requires a lot of time and effort, and success may be slow in coming. Be patient.

I undertook a national book tour in a mini-campervan with only a dog for a companion, knowing it could be dangerous. Many times, I strayed off course, and wound up in the wrong place at the wrong time. As a result, I encountered many dangerous situations.

Once, I was attacked by meth-heads after midnight in Montana, and robbed by a gunman in New Orleans. I nearly died driving to the bottom of the Copper Canyon in Mexico. A tornado cloud chased me 400 miles from Little Rock, Arkansas, all the way to St. Louis, Missouri.

Pic. 12. Tornado pursues a vehicle on the road. By Greg Johnson

Was it hard? Damn right it was hard. For four years, I’ve worked seven days a week trying to make it as a writer, and I haven’t made a dime. But I love writing, and feel fulfilled when I craft a good paragraph, or write this blog. I want it so much that money doesn’t matter.

Was it worth all the risks I took? Yes. Surviving all the danger is a nice bonus.

You will have to decide how much risk you are willing to tolerate to follow your imagination and fulfill your dreams. Imagination is the fuel that fires you up to pursue your dreams.

Want to Be Featured?
In upcoming posts, I’ll share stories from people who are reinventing their lives in ways big and small. If you’ve taken a leap — and want to share your story—reply to this blog.

Curious about My Life with My Dog, Mr. Bones?
Feel free to follow our journey on Instagram or Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/My2Centuries/ or (2) Instagram

Mr. Bones charms the servers at Angel’s Café in Calgary