When I was a primary schoolboy, my teacher told us the story of a man who plucked coconuts for a living. One day while climbing, he started dreaming about getting rich by selling the fruits of his labour. He soon got carried away, fell, and injured himself. The moral of the story was to stop building castles in the air.
Many years later, as a secondary schoolboy, I came across a saying:
If you have built castles in the air,
Your work need not be lost;
That is where they should be.
Now put foundations under them.
Henry David Thoreau
It is good to have dreams about the future! But, don’t let them stay just dreams – make them happen.
The Dream
Ah, great it is to believe the dream
As we stand in youth by the starry stream;
But a great thing is to fight life through,
And say at the end, “The dream is true!”
Edward Markham
I have a keen interest in daydreaming because we spend so much time doing so. People generally consider daydreaming a negative characteristic. But, daydreaming happens naturally in our brain. There is nothing good or bad – it is how we “use” it.
Psychologists tell us that up to half of our mental activities are daydreams. They reveal our innermost hopes, desires, and fears. Contrary to popular beliefs, daydreams are not scatter-brained and unfocused; one of the functions is to keep our life’s plan in front of us. They remind us of what’s coming, rehearse new situations, and plan the future.
Daydreaming is primarily private – we often find it embarrassing to reveal them. These fantasies help us to rise above life’s petty frustrations. Researchers found two predominant themes: the ‘conquering hero’ and the ‘suffering martyr.’ In the conquering hero scenario, the daydreamer is successful or influential, perhaps a musician or a leader, receiving glowing feedback from others. The suffering martyr plot describes the feelings of being unappreciated and misunderstood; imagines situations where other people come to regret their lack of appreciation, and acknowledge what a wonderful person the daydreamer is.
Both themes do tell what is important to us; they are valuable self-to-self channels of communication. They help us to explore ideas and areas that we might not venture into (if we do not set aside time to dream our dreams). How we respond to these internal messages will determine whether daydreaming is positive or negative.
Daydreaming can boost our creativity and problem-solving skills. We are more receptive to ideas from our subconscious mind and toying with new possibilities (in the unexplored worlds of our fantasies). The real value is to try out various possible courses of action. When we are stuck with a problem, do not underestimate the importance of daydreaming. Just let our imagination run free – some pleasant unexpected results may turn up!
Keep daydreaming – if you don’t have a dream, how can you have a dream come true?