(10) Reasons Why We Should All Be Daydreaming
By Kathleen E.R. Murphy, CEO of Market Me Too , Special for USADT
Were you ever called out in school for daydreaming? As if it were a bad thing to do? Yes, you probably should have been paying attention to the lesson being presented, but it is possible that what you were daydreaming about was actually the foundation for your future. Instead of being taught that daydreaming is a negative activity it should be embraced as something more people, at any age, should try. Imagine how many of the inventions and advancements we enjoy today may not have been created without someone first daydreaming. Are you a daydream believer?
When was the last time you caught yourself daydreaming? This is something I find myself doing regularly. It often serves as inspiration for the work I do.
Daydreaming can even be helpful in solving challenges – an extension of the thinking-through process. Some might refer to the act of daydreaming in other expressive ways. This concept serves multiple purposes and results in more positive than negative outcomes.
No one would argue that time is one of our most precious resources, but they might tell you daydreaming is not a productive use of time. I disagree.
Let’s imagine if people did not daydream. Would they be more productive, happier, healthier, and ultimately more satisfied with their life? Probably not. Daydreaming is a form of natural therapy which can calm anxiety provide hope and inspiration to do and achieve what once seemed impossible.
I have found that when daydreaming, I am, in fact, architecting in my mind the potential outcome.
I use daydreaming to help me think through conundrums either for myself, my clients, friends, or family. Since most of us do not remember our overnight dreams, I am thankful we can remember our daydreams. We can leverage them to transport us to places we might not otherwise be able to go for any number of reasons – health, mobility issues, finances, fear . . .
Do you daydream? If not, why not? Is it because you think it is a waste of time? Is it because you do not have anything you think is worthy of daydreaming about? Or, does the possibility of seeing yourself in a better place seem too scary? Regardless of which camp you find yourself in on the debate of whether daydreaming is a worthwhile exercise, here are my ‘pro’ daydreaming reasons.
- Daydreaming can be like taking a mini mental vacation each and every day.
- Daydreaming can encourage you to do more than you think you can.
- Daydreaming allows you to place (or imagine) yourself in different scenarios and can help you to prepare to step up or in when the actual time comes. It is similar to the concept of visualization.
- Daydreaming can provide your mind and body with a way to decrease stress by thinking about things that are more positive.
- Creative minds need time to relax and capture mental power from various sources. Daydreaming is often a source that fuels those with creative minds.
- Inspiration can come from daydreaming, which in turn allows you to continue, to pursue or to embark upon something you want to achieve.
- Numerous inventions have been inspired by daydreaming as the catalyst for the idea to come to fruition.
- Problem solvers, or people who have to figure out solutions to challenges will often apply the act of daydreaming to help their minds switch gears and develop methods and solutions.
- Healing can take place when our minds have an opportunity to check-out from reality and go to a happier place, which in turn can release natural healing chemicals in our brains.
- Those who are dealing with physical or mental issues can apply the pros of daydreaming to help them see themselves in a better and more positive situation than the one they are currently in.
In other words, daydreaming can offer people hope. On days, it may be in short supply. Since daydreaming does not cost anything, and is easy to do, why not give it a try? See if you change your mind, or reinforce your beliefs, about the benefits and positive aspects of this practice after you have given it a try for a week or two.
Kathleen E. R. Murphy is the Founder, Chief Performance Strategist and CEO of Market Me Too. Market Me Too has expertise in bridging teams and providing organizations techniques to accelerate their market growth and revenue numbers, regardless of the industry they are in, or the business stage they are presently at. She is also the author of a newly published business book called Wisdom Whisperer which is available via Amazon.