It sure feels good to daydream. We can build the most beautiful palaces, imagine thousands of outstanding successes and adventures, and see ourselves in any role we want – but it all goes on just in our minds.
However, hours pass, dreams fade, and your everyday life stays the same. Job, relationships, health issues, bills – nothing goes away as we daydream, and at some point, there is no other option than to face your reality, deal with the issues you need to deal with, and start walking towards the life you imagine for yourself. The life you can have for real.
Of course, it’s always easier said than done. Many people daydream, but when it finally comes to dealing with reality – your ‘now and then’ often seems scary. Changes in life are not easy to make. Many people are afraid to go towards any big shifts and changes (which is completely normal and understandable), so they find rest in daydreaming all the time to avoid working on their reality.
The real question is – how to stop daydreaming and start living? What is there to do if you find yourself stuck in the endless loop of your imagination?
Well, if you’re reading this article, it means you made one first step in the right direction. As they say, "if you can name it, you can tame it." So once you have framed the issue, you can focus on dealing with it and working on your personal development.
Take a small step at a time
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and all important changes in life were once a chain of many small steps, one after another. A plan that seems big and unapproachable won’t be so scary after you stop viewing it as one unreachable mountain and try to see it as a process.
Divide your big goal (may it concern work, finances, your personal life, or something completely different) onto several small pieces and concentrate on doing one at a time. It is not so scary to accomplish tiny tasks, but one will come after another, you will get into the rhythm – and at the end, you will see how far you have come.
Someday never comes
Monday seems like the right day to start something new. Or should it be next week? Maybe next month?...
The truth is – there is no perfect time for a change. If you’re waiting for ‘the right day’ for a new start, beware: it may never come. There will always be excuses to delay your plan for another time – a time more suitable, more appropriate, more distant. It is a mere trick our minds do in demand for perfection – and that is, alas, unreachable.
In order to stop daydreaming so much, start something now.
Do not seek perfection. Every bit of progress is a bumpy road – there will be mess, setbacks, bad days. Remember: it’s okay if you didn’t have a perfect start or if you did less than you planned to. The important thing is – you did something.
Think of today
Planning ahead is good. Overplanning, however, usually results in nothing but anxiety.
We can predict the outcomes of our actions to some extent, but we sure can’t know everything. Life is complicated, and the human mind is capable of tricking itself into worrying about the bad outcomes that are very unlikely to happen.
To stop daydreaming and thinking about thousands of theoretical things that might occur, concentrate on your today. Deal with the difficulties as they appear. Your power is not endless, so try to avoid wasting it on worries that might never come true, or on daydreaming for a short pleasure.
Acknowledge your success, even the smallest, and remember: the worst outcomes are a rare occasion. The chances are, you are going to be just fine. If everything seems too hard now, narrow your focus and concentrate on going through today. This day will pass, another will come, and soon you will see your progress.
