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By Patti Dobrowolski, CEO, Up Your Creative Genius
We tend to think imagination is for kids, daydreamers, or that one friend who always talks about moving to Bali to herd alpacas. But new research is showing something radically different and thrilling:
Your imagination isn’t frivolous. It’s your brain’s most powerful predictive technology.
Recent studies in cognitive science suggest that imagination is less about fantasy and more about running neural simulations, tiny “future tests” that your brain performs before you act in real life. Think of imagination as your mind’s private NFL quarterback, constantly scanning the field, calling audibles, and rehearsing your next big move without any of the real-world risk.
Your brain uses imagination like a mental sandbox, a place to sketch possibilities, shift angles, and test out who you could become. And here’s where it gets even more exciting for all of us doing Draw Your Future with Agilities©:
Imagination Isn’t Just Magic. It’s Trainable.
A wave of research since 2022 has turned a big spotlight on imagination as a trainable executive function—just like planning, focus, or decision-making. When you practice imagining your future with intention, you strengthen the very cognitive muscles that help you create it. Targeted imaginative exercises, like drawing your future, boost:
- Cognitive flexibility: the brain’s ability to shift gears and see opportunity rather than obstruction
- Inhibitory control: the ability to override old patterns and choose new, empowered behaviors
- Working memory: your mind’s capacity to hold multiple ideas as you plan, envision, and pivot
These are the cornerstones of becoming agile. Imagine what happens when you combine all three. Spoiler alert: you become unstoppable. But let’s go even deeper, because the neuroscience of visual imagination is off-the-charts powerful.
When You Draw Your Future, Your Whole Brain Lights Up
Visual imagination, especially when paired with drawing, activates more whole-brain integration than verbal thinking alone. 2022 and 2023 Neuroimaging studies in 2022 and 2023 show that when you visualize or draw your future, you simultaneously activate:
- the prefrontal cortex (planning, decision-making)
- the motor cortex (embodied commitment—your brain preparing for action)
- the default mode network (self-reflection, identity, purpose)
- AND your sensory cortices (your vision, touch, and spatial processing systems)
In other words…
Drawing your future turns your entire brain into a co-pilot for your dreams.
This is why, when people use the Draw Your Future process, they often say, “It suddenly felt real.” It’s because neurologically, it is becoming real.
Now add your Agilities, your unique combination of strengths and interests, how you approach work, problem-solving, learning, people, and systems, and suddenly your imagination becomes grounded in capability, confidence, and data. If you’re not sure what your Agilities are, you can take the Agile Work Profiler© to discover them. This combo is:
- A rocket booster for your life
- A GPS for where you’re headed.
- A clear map for the next bold leap.
So, enough of why you should Draw Your Future 2026 with Agilities. It’s time to…
Blast Off Your 2026: A Draw Your Future with Agilities Exercise
Grab a piece of paper, or print this one. Yes, paper. (Your brain LOVES paper—it slows you down just enough to think deeply and integrate fully.)
Turn it into landscape. Write Current Reality at the top on the left side, write Desired New Reality at the top on the right side. Down the center, draw 3 arrows with enough space to write in or on them.
1. On the left: Your “2025 You” (aka: Where You Are Now)
This is a gentle, honest snapshot of your current reality. Label it “Today” or “2025” — whichever feels right. Include:
- How you feel about your work
- The opportunities in front of you
- What’s working
- What’s not
- Where your Agilities are showing up (or where they’re under-used)
No judgment. Just clarity.
2. On the right: Your “End of 2026 You” (Your Next-Level Vision)
This is where imagination research comes alive. Picture a version of yourself who has stepped out of the small room of predictability and into the big auditorium of possibility. Imagine a future where you’ve stretched just enough beyond your comfort zone that something wakes up in you—your spark, your voice, your calling.
Ask:
- What bold contribution could I be making?
- What does my life feel like?
- What have I created?
- Where have my Agilities elevated my work, relationships, or purpose?
Draw it. Words, sketches, symbols, rockets—anything. This is your future sandbox.
3. Now: Connect the Two with Three Bold Steps
Here’s where neuroscience shakes your hand and says, “Let’s do this.” Your brain LOVES threes. Three bold steps are enough to create momentum without overwhelming your executive function. Look at your 2026 vision and ask:
What three bold, catalytic actions would close the gap?
Maybe it’s:
- Getting certified
- Pitching a new idea
- Starting the side project you’ve wanted to do forever
- Asking for mentorship
- Taking a small risk every week
- Prioritizing your Agilities in your next role or opportunity
Write those three steps right in the middle of your page. Something extraordinary happens when you do this visually. Your brain begins pre-loading the neural pathways required to make these steps real. You’re literally rehearsing your future. And guess what?
The More You Rehearse Your Future, the More Inevitable It Becomes.
Your imagination is not a toy. It is a technology. It is a teacher. It is a time machine. And when you combine imagination + Agilities + Draw Your Future, you create a blueprint that your brain is designed to follow.
2026 Is Already Whispering to You. Are You Listening?
This year is inviting you to imagine bigger, stretch farther, and claim the future that only YOU can create. Your imagination is your superpower. Your Agilities are your fuel. Your Draw Your Future map is your launchpad. Now go draw it. And then—go live it.
