A Magical Faraway Land Called ‘Imaginopia’

For the majority of my life I have lived in a beautiful if not slightly make-believe place called ‘Imaginopia’. Imaginopia is a magical, faraway land full of wondrous things to do and see. Anything is possible in Imaginopia because it is a place ruled by the imagination. In Imaginopia everything and everyone is really creative. It’s pretty awesome.

Imaginopians love nothing better than painting pictures and writing stories and having philosophical conversations and generally just creating remarkably innovative things. They can do that stuff all day long and not come up for air. What happens is they get a feeling about what they want to do and then they go off and do it. Imaginopians are particularly good at being in touch with their feelings and they love hugs. They don’t mind taking risks and dreaming of the future is second nature to them.

Though I have painted a perfect picture of it (lol, pun), Imaginopia does have its problems. You see, Imaginopians don’t like doing logical things. They run away from anything that involves numbers and science and common sense and being practical. Imaginopians rarely plan for the future, add up sums or solve problems. For stuff like that, they usually throw their hands up in the air and get someone from the Kingdom of Logic to help.

Ah, the Kingdom of Logic. Now that’s a neat place. And I mean that literally. The folks who live there are SO organized. Apparently (so I’ve heard) there is a right way and a wrong way to do everything. Go figure. In the Kingdom of Logic they have these things called ‘To Do’ lists that help them get through the day. AND they actually read maps and follow directions. Plus, get this: they don’t get into hugs all that much and they can sit for hours listening to boring lectures..!

If you haven’t cottoned on to what I’m talking about yet, it’s about being either left or right brain dominant. I’m right-brain dominant. The right brain looks at the whole picture and quickly seeks to determine the spatial relationships of all the parts as they relate to the whole. It thrives on complexity, ambiguity and paradox. It’s predominantly visual.

On the other hand (or should I say on other side of the cranium), the left brain is systematic, sequential and has an exact approach to things, striving for accuracy at all times. The left brain names and categorizes things. It’s good at symbolic abstraction, speech, reading, writing, arithmetic, all that verbal, logical, and analytical stuff. It also likes things to be in order. It’s predominantly verbal.

Clearly there is no right or wrong brain hemisphere; there are merely different ways of thinking. BUT when both hemispheres of our brains are in balance that’s when everything is pretty damn good. When we are wholly aware of our emotions and motivations and we are creative and logical at the same time, that is when we are using both hemispheres of our brains equally. This is called ‘whole brain thinking’.

Whole brain thinking allows us to be more logical, organised, communicate well, and be more imaginative. It empowers us to fully use our own internal resources and strengths to balance each aspect of ourselves and achieve full health, happiness and peak performance. Whole brain thinking also improves the way we learn and how we communicate. It enhances our relationships and cultivates self-understanding.

As for me, I still spend stacks of time in Imaginopia – it will always be my favourite place – but nowadays I visit the Kingdom of Logic a fair bit. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be. Sums and equations used to send me to sleep. I just couldn’t seem to keep my mind on them long enough to learn and benefit. But I persisted and eventually my left brain became active and now it functions pretty well. To my surprise and credit I can add up numbers and say and do logical things once in a while, if only to confuse my arty friends and/or impress my nerdy friends.

So, here’s my point: it is entirely possible to think with both hemispheres of your brain and do it effectively. Oh, and one more thing: if you follow me on Twitter and you see me tweet something like, “Yay! I edited html code today!” go easy on me. Remember where I’m from…

Until next time, may both your brain hemispheres be your friends,

Tracey

P.S. Follow me on twitter at: www.twitter.com/lovinglaughing. I’m currently tweeting daily acts of kindness though I might come up with some suggestions for living it up on a budget. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment.