Listen to episode 369 of the Inspirational Living podcast: Imagination Rules the World | Habits of Mind. Edited and adapted from Stepping Stones to Success by Horace D. Hitchcock.
Inspirational Podcast Excerpt: Welcome to the Inspirational Living podcast. Coming up this weekend on Our Sunday Talks, I’ll be reading from Chapter 3 of my book The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life, where I examine the meaning of the phrase “Thy Kingdom Come”.  To learn how you can gain access to the Our Sunday Talks series, please visit LivingHour.org/patron. Thank you.
Today’s reading was edited and adapted from Stepping-Stones to Success by Horace D. Hitchcock, published in 1916.
"Imagination rules the world,” said Napoleon, and it is true that this quality of mind has been a notable factor in the success of all great men and women. Each one of us possesses the quality in some degree, and it should be cultivated.
A common understanding of imagination implies its relation to something fanciful, unreal, impossible — as in the case of the imagination of a novelist. But all imagination is based on actualities. Exaggerated imaginations often produce improbabilities, but they are never wholly lacking in possibilities.
The faculty of imagination should not be considered as a part of the mental equipment needed only by artists, musicians, poets, and writers. It is utilized in everyday life, in all fields of endeavor. It often forms the the root of happiness and prosperity for many who realize its possibilities.
Great happiness comes often through a well-developed imagination. Through it, we can overlook the commonplace — and color the dull, uninteresting things of life into things of beauty and delight. It then becomes a great power for contentment and joy — and who is there who is not always seeking contentment?