Just imagine

One of my favorite book photos I’ve captured is from Exactly What To Say by Phil Jones.

Here’s why a printed photo of the words “Just Imagine” from his book lives on a wall in my apartment.

Actually, they’re not just words, they’re magic words…

After having worked with the guy for several years, most of the words he shares, whether on a screen, a page in a book, or spoken, are magical, indeed.

As part of our collaborative work, I was tasked with capturing book photos of Exactly What To Say. 

Since each chapter represents a new set of magic words, we decided that capturing each chapter title that displayed the words was going to be the primary focus of the session.

Phil’s team has used these photos all over his online presence, including online content, blog thumbnails, as well as a series of presentation slides used in trainings and keynotes.

So, the work to create them was not in vain, that’s for sure. 

They’ve gotten a workout in the years since they were created - which is always a wonderful thing. 

While all of the magic words in this book resonate with me, this set, in particular, has always stood out the most.

I’ve heard Phil share just imagine many times, in many different contexts - from the stage, during virtual presentations, during fireside chats and in training rooms. 

And every single time, it reinforces why it resonates with me. 

It’s all about being curious enough to explore possibilities. 

If I had been introduced to this book, and these magic words, prior to quitting my TV job and starting my own thing, they would’ve gone in one ear and right out the other. 

Back then, I was allergic to change. More accurately, I was fearful of change.

You see, I was a resentful, angry, curmudgeonly pain in the ass that sought safety in the familiar, despite how miserable it made me feel overall.

I’m sure some of you can relate to this. 

Regardless, I ran from opportunities to grow, advance, and evolve at every turn, without even the slightest bit of hesitation.

At the time, I had a weekly paycheck coming my way, rain or shine, so I had the luxury to sit on my ass and continue to play out the string without any hint of thinking about how I could improve my situation.

But, once I went out on my own, I quickly realized that that mindset was simply not going to serve me anymore…

…if I wanted to keep the lights on and the hot water running in my apartment, that is. 

So, I had to break out of my comfort zone and learn to embrace change, which was one of the hardest adjustments I’ve ever had to make in my life. 

Difficult or not, it had to be done, and once it was, the world looked completely different through my eyes. 

Rather than hunker down and insulate myself from change, I became more comfortable embracing the unknown and allowed myself to just imagine what a better world for me looked like. 

I realized that I wanted to monetize my art in a way that didn’t compromise my integrity and served a greater purpose than simply creating beautiful work. It had to have substance and value behind it. 

By allowing myself to just imagine what I wanted to do with my work, that opened up a lot of doors and created a massive opportunity to build a business that not only provided value to my clients, but also made me feel proud of what I was doing with my life.

Nowadays, I adopt this just imagine mentality every single time a new opportunity presents itself. 

Are they all home run ideas? Not even close.

But allowing space to be curious is a win unto itself because you never know where your mind and unfiltered creativity will take you. 

And for that, the photo of this set of magic words lives on my wall in my apartment because it’s a constant reminder to always be open to possibilities. 

Pretty magical, don’t you think? :)