NOT “JUST” YOUR IMAGINATION – Thoughts on Parshat Yitro
As we get older, life has a way of bringing us down. We smile and laugh less, become more cynical and stop using our imagination like we did when we were kids.
In Parshat Yitro, this week’s Torah portion, we learn an important lesson in dealing with this typical life scenario from Yitro, a man who had been through everything. After all that Yitro experienced in his life he probably should have been down, cynical, in a rut. But what we we find is that Yitro re-framed his experience. Rather than be crushed by everything he had seen and been through, he used his experience to make him more creative and imaginative. It was his visionary, out of the box and inventive thinking that enabled him to create a major change in the structure of the Jewish people’s judicial system.
Like Yitro, how do we stay forward looking, creative and open to new ideas? For me it is shooting hoops in the gym. This requires me to use my imagination and access an often untapped part of the brain that allows me to conjure up different game like scenarios, situations, drills and plays. Imagination is positively infectious – it starts on the court and carries over into all other aspects of my life.
Everyone in their own life can find that place where you can tap into your creativity and imagination. I believe this is especially important when we are feeling down and out or in a rut. Shaking things up and using untapped energies has the tremendous power to bring about positive change. seen and been through, he used his experience to make him more creative and imaginative. It was his visionary, out of the box and inventive thinking that enabled him to create a major change in the structure of the Jewish people’s judicial system.
Like Yitro, how do we stay forward looking, creative and open to new ideas? For me it is shooting hoops in the gym. This requires me to use my imagination and access an often untapped part of the brain that allows me to conjure up different game like scenarios, situations, drills and plays. Imagination is positively infectious – it starts on the court and carries over into all other aspects of my life.
Everyone in their own life can find that place where you can tap into your creativity and imagination. I believe this is especially important when we are feeling down and out or in a rut. Shaking things up and using untapped energies has the tremendous power to bring about positive change.