Imagination

Imagination is an almost superhuman quality. Everything that mankind has accomplished throughout our history has come about thanks to our ability to imagine.

With imagination comes creativity and the ability to see the world with a childlike sense of wonder. All of the smartest people I've ever met think through ideas without judging anyone for them.

These people hold the idea in their mind and examine it, much as someone would inspect a smooth, colorful stone in the palm of their hand. They add to the idea, polish it, and brainstorm with others how to use it to change their world.

A really great way to squash your own imagination is to be constantly worried about what others think of you. I read a few years ago that "Everything you want in life is on the other side of cringe." Imagination is freeing yourself from feelings of foolishness and entertaining wild ideas.

Of course, there will always be people you come across in life who will judge you no matter what you do. In those cases, feel free to liberally set boundaries with them or even reduce the amount of time you spend around them (where possible). Life is too short to spend much time around people like that.

Just don't preemptively judge yourself and do their work for them.

There are moments in my life (writing a song on guitar, coding on a personal project, or reading an incredible book) where I consciously tell myself, "nothing I do right now matters." This isn't meant to be negative on myself at all. Instead, I'm giving permission to play.

If you separate the act of doing something from expectations about the results, really great outcomes can happen.

Finally, I am a big believer in the idea that boredom is a good experience we should all be having much more frequently.

Sitting outside and staring at the sky has an entirely different outcome than scrolling on social media whenever you have free time. When you're bored, your mind starts to wander. Have you ever wondered why you get some of your best ideas when you're in the shower?

Give your mind room to breathe. You might be surprised what happens when it comes back to you.