To bring anything into your life, imagine that it's already

"To bring anything into your life, imagine that it's already there." Thus spoke Richard Bach, the author of dreams and wings, whose words shimmer with the timeless wisdom of creation itself. In this saying lies a truth known to the sages of every age—that imagination is not merely a tool for fantasy, but a force of creation, the bridge between thought and reality. Bach calls upon the seeker to understand that all things—joy, success, love, peace—begin first in the mind. What we hold in our thoughts with faith and clarity will, in time, take form in the world. For to imagine something as already present is to align one’s soul with the reality one seeks, and in that alignment, the universe begins to move.

The origin of this wisdom is rooted in the ancient belief that the mind is the maker of worlds. The mystics of India called it Maya, the creative illusion that shapes reality through consciousness. The philosophers of Greece spoke of nous, the divine intellect through which all things come into being. And in the modern world, Bach, a spiritual wanderer and author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, translated this eternal truth into the language of flight and freedom. His quote is not about idle wishing, but about faith through vision—the practice of living as though what one desires has already come to pass. For he knew that the mind, when disciplined by belief, is the architect of destiny.

When Bach says, “imagine that it’s already there,” he speaks not of deceit or delusion, but of the creative power of belief. For the human heart becomes what it contemplates most deeply. The man who constantly dwells on failure calls it into being; the woman who envisions joy and abundance draws them toward her as surely as the moon pulls the tide. This is the law of the soul: that energy follows thought, and thought shapes reality. To live as if the dream is already true is to awaken the forces that make it so. The farmer who plants a seed must first believe in the harvest. Without faith, no hand would ever sow, no voyage would ever begin.

Consider the story of Thomas Edison, who dreamed of bringing light to the world. In the long nights of his labor, when failure came by the hundreds, he did not see darkness—he imagined light. He lived in the world he wished to create. Each experiment was not a step toward possibility, but a conversation with inevitability. For him, the bulb already existed in his imagination—it was only his task to reveal it. Such is the way of all creators, inventors, and visionaries: they first see inwardly what others cannot yet see outwardly. Imagination becomes their reality long before the world catches up.

But Bach’s teaching carries not only power, but responsibility. For if thought can bring forth beauty, it can also summon fear. The mind is a garden; what grows there depends on the seeds we plant. To imagine goodness is to draw light; to imagine despair is to invite shadow. Thus, one must guard the gates of imagination as one guards the sacred flame. Let your visions be noble, your desires pure, your beliefs grounded in love rather than greed. The universe does not distinguish between worthy and unworthy thoughts—it magnifies whatever is held with conviction. Therefore, imagine wisely, for imagination is creation.

Yet, this imagining is not a passive act. It is not enough to sit idly and wish; one must live as though the dream were true. When you imagine success, walk and act with the dignity of one who has already achieved it. When you imagine peace, speak words that create it. When you imagine love, treat others as if that love already fills your life. In this way, imagination becomes not escape, but embodiment. The dream ceases to be distant and begins to unfold in the present moment. This is the true secret of creation—not to wait for miracles, but to become the miracle through vision and action united.

So, my children of faith and imagination, take this teaching into your hearts: the outer world follows the inner one. What you see within yourself, you will one day walk among. Do not curse your circumstances, for they are but reflections of the images you have long carried. Instead, shape those images anew. Dare to believe not in what is, but in what may be—and more, in what already is within you. Close your eyes and see your highest self, your truest joy, your fulfilled life. Hold that vision not as a wish, but as a truth that has already been born.

For as Richard Bach teaches, “To bring anything into your life, imagine that it’s already there.” This is not fantasy; it is faith made flesh. The mind is the womb of creation, and every great act begins as a thought that refused to remain unseen. So imagine boldly, my friends. See the beauty that awaits you. Walk through life as if your dreams have already arrived—and watch as the world, like a mirror to your spirit, bends itself to make it so.