As my story begins, at the age of nineteen, I was a mildly successful dance teacher and continued in this static state for almost five years. At the end of this time, I met a young lady who talked me into attending your lectures. My thought, upon hearing you say “Imagining creates reality,” was that the entire idea was ridiculous. However, I decided to accept your challenge and disprove your thesis. I bought your book “Out of This World” and read it many times. Still unconvinced, I set myself a rather ambitious goal. My present position was as an instructor with the Arthur Murray Dance Studio, and my goal was to own a franchise and be the boss of an Arthur Murray studio myself!
This seemed the most unlikely thing in the world, as franchises were extremely difficult to secure. On top of this fact, I was completely without the necessary funds to begin such an operation. Nevertheless, I assumed the feeling of my wish fulfilled as, night after night, in my imagination, I went to sleep managing my own studio. Three weeks later, a friend called me from Reno, Nevada. He had the Murray Studio there and said it was too much for him to cope with alone. He offered me a partnership, and I was delighted. So delighted, in fact, that I hastened to Reno on borrowed money and promptly forgot all about you and your story of Imagination!
My partner and I worked hard and were very successful, but after a year, I was still not satisfied. I wanted more. I began thinking of ways and means to get another studio. All my efforts failed. One night as I retired, I was restless and decided to read. As I looked through my collection of books, I noticed your slender volume, “Out of This World.” I thought of the ‘silly nonsense’ I had gone through one year ago before getting my own studio. GETTING MY OWN STUDIO! The words in my mind electrified me! I reread the book that night and later, in my imagination, I heard my superior praise the good job we had done in Reno and suggest we acquire a second studio as he had a second location ready for us if we desired to expand. I re-enacted this imaginal scene nightly without fail. Three weeks from the first night of my imaginal drama, it materialized – almost word for word. My partner accepted the new studio in Bakersfield, and I had the Reno Studio alone. Now I was convinced of the truth of your teaching and never again will I forget.
Now I wanted to share this wonderful knowledge of imaginal power with my staff. I tried to tell them of the marvels they could accomplish, but I was unable to reach many, although one fantastic incident resulted from my efforts to tell this story. A young teacher told me he believed my story but said it would have probably happened anyway in time. He insisted the entire theory was nonsense but stated that if I could tell him something of an incredible nature that would actually happen and which he could witness, then he would believe. I accepted his challenge and conceived a truly fantastic test.
The Reno Studio is the most insignificant in the entire Murray system because of the small population count in the city itself. There are over three hundred Murray Studios in the country with much larger populations, therefore providing greater possibilities to draw from. So, my test was this: I told the teacher that within the next three months, at the time of a national dance convention, the little Reno Studio would be the foremost topic of conversation at that convention. He calmly stated this was quite impossible.
That night when I retired, I felt myself standing before a tremendous audience. I was speaking on “Creative Imagining” and felt the nervousness of being before such a vast audience; but I also felt the wonderful sensation of audience acceptance. I heard the roar of applause and as I left the stage, I saw Mr. Murray himself come forward and shake my hand. I re-enacted this entire drama night after night. It began to take on the “tones of reality,” and I knew I had done it again!
My imaginal drama materialized down to the last detail. My little Reno Studio was the “talk” of the convention, and I did appear on that stage just as I had done in my imagination. But even after this unbelievable but actual happening, the young teacher who threw me the challenge remained unconvinced. He said it had all happened too naturally! And he was sure it would have happened anyway!
I did not mind his attitude because his challenge had given me another opportunity to prove, at least to myself, that Imagining does Create Reality. From that time on, I continued with my ambition to own the “largest Arthur Murray Dance Studio in the world!” Night after night, in my imagination, I heard myself accepting a studio franchise for a great city. Within three weeks, Mr. Murray called me and offered a studio in a city of one and a half million people! It is now my goal to make my studio the greatest and biggest in the entire system. And, of course, “I know it will be done – through my Imagination!”
— E.O.L., Jr.
Story from the book The Law And The Promise
