“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift; the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” – Albert Einstein
When we were younger and our teacher would catch us daydreaming in class, we’d get reprimanded for it. Hence, growing up, at the back of our minds, we thought daydreaming is a waste of time and was a mere distraction. That’s far from the truth, though. Several studies show that daydreaming contributes to success in many ways. Discover how it affects us below.
Stimulates Creativity
When we let our minds wander, we explore ideas better. We visualize the future and the different situations we can be in. It encourages us to be imaginative, and that’s highly recommended. Even the greatest minds like Newton and Einstein started with envisioning their ideas and then working hard to achieve their vision.
One study showed that 41% of the subjects who daydream or let their minds wander do better in creative thinking tests than those who don’t. In addition, the study found that these subjects have better creative problem-solving skills, too.
Helps with Visualisation
Visualization is one of those struggles why people have a hard time coming up with their life vision. The lack of imagination makes them struggle with envisioning their future selves, which is how daydreaming can be of help.
A psychologist shared his findings after doing a 30-year study on a group of children until they became adults. He studied achievement indicators, academic scores, and IQ tests. What he found out was that the best clue to the children’s success was how they see themselves in the future and how clear and vivid this vision is. (1)
Plan Intricately
Scott Kaufman, an author of Psychology Today, also mentioned “prospective bias” in his article. This means that people who daydream use such bias to plan their lives in the future, including their long-term goals and vision.
Kaufman described it as “autobiographical planning” to which he explained it as “the setting and anticipation of personally relevant future goals and mental simulation of possible future scenarios, including the emotional reactions of others and ourselves in response to the imagined events.” (1)
How is this helpful? When we have a clearer image of ourselves in the future, we become more motivated to make that image a reality. We care more about ourselves, and we commit to our purpose more, as well.
In Kaufman’s article, he mentioned a study where children who were able to imagine their academic futures cared more about their attendance in school and achieving success in whatever they do. Moreover, the children were more focused on realizing their goals than spending time worrying about the future.
For Harvard professor Alison Wood Brooks, trying to keep calm when we’re anxious is harder on our emotions. It’s not intuitive. She suggests reframing anxiety with excitement instead. (2) Think about it, how often do we feel worried and anxious after we daydream? More often than needed. That means the content of our daydreams isn’t helpful to us. Why not use our imaginations the right way so we can plan for our future selves better?
Daydream All You Want
Daydreaming is healthy. It affects us in more ways than we realize. Not only does it help us prepare for our future, but it also gives us hope and motivates us to commit to success. However, we must also be aware of what we daydream about. Daydreams that make us worry and lonely won’t be helpful at all.
Harness the power of daydreaming. Soon enough, we’ll find ourselves on the path to our greatness.
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