Imagination Groundedness
Author: Todd Hoskins Issue: 2023-08-02
Imagination & Groundedness
Text and photos by Todd Hoskins
I’m taking a break from writing on being a respectful digital nomad. I’ll pick that up later this month.
We seem to live in a time of great ideas, but little idea of what to do next.
There was a time when I called myself a *possibilitarian. *I loved putting my imagination to work on music, film, writing, coaching, relationships, doing vision work with organizations and communities. It is enlivening to be in the space of creation, and I thrived within it. I still do, but it’s no longer enough to dream, to scheme, to imagine what is possible.
We desperately need imagination. There is no healed relationship with our planet, let alone a well-lived life without the capacity to imagine. In the circles of people where I intersect, there is no lack of ideas, theories, and proposals. Possibilities are abundant. Dreaming, whether it’s for a business, policy, or framework, surrounds me.
[Image not included in the current archive. Images may be included in the future.]
So what is the relationship between imagination and groundedness? I asked myself that question for the first time yesterday as I struggled with two projects where people in leadership love dwelling in the realm of possibility. They seem to be riding a wave of excitement with what could happen, followed by a crash of disappointment that nothing is really happening.
Transformation requires imagination. But when that imagination is not grounded, what good is it? And what do I mean by grounding?
Let’s try this . . . To be grounded is to know through the senses, to sense a wise next step, and to be connected to the dynamic, living world rather than just one’s thoughts. Imagination shows us the possibilities, but groundedness offers paths to get there.
I didn’t really understand groundedness, being a disembodied possibilitarian. More than a decade ago in a leadership training program, I was taught to ask for consent to hold people’s feet if you sensed they were “floating.” I thought that was interesting. Then during one session I saw a colleague crawling towards my feet. I nodded with surprise. “Oh. I guess I float sometimes.”
What do we do with all of us floaters? For me, time in Nature started to show me what groundedness could be like. Yoga may help. Breathing exercises. Cooking. Gardening. Sex. But what do I do with the leadership teams that float together?
I’m not sure, but I’m thinking about starting the day with a hike.
[Image not included in the current archive. Images may be included in the future.]
Related:
- Todd Hoskins (author)
- 2023 (year)
- Topics: Work and Organizations