Something really cool I heard!

[Angela E]

Hey guys!  So I heard something really interesting yesterday on an audio download.  It was talking about the difference between daydreaming that is likely to make you more productive and daydreaming that is likely to make you less productive.  It wasn't targeted at people with MD or anything, but I related to it in that way obviously.

They gave one really cool suggestion that I am going to try out!  They said that if you daydream about just reaching goals (you know, the end result) then you are actually less likely to take real steps to reach those goals.  BUT if you daydream or fantasize about taking the STEPS necessary to achieve those goals, you are more likely to start acting on them in real life.  

That was really exciting to me!  I don't know about all of you, but I always DD about the end result.  I skip over most of the process that leads up to them, and I go straight to the payoff.  I wonder if that is why it's so easy to feel like I have emotionally accomplished things, yet when I actually try to start on them, the skills don't translate so well?  Because I just DD about the accomplishment, but not about acquiring or pursuing it?  It makes a lot of sense.  And I think it also might have something to do with why taking the first steps and starting a process feels hard, and why I procrastinate.  And incorporating just a little bit of DD about taking steps toward goals doesn't seem like it would be terribly hard.  I'm definitely going to try it out.

So I'm wondering, do you guys DD similarly?  Do you mostly focus on the reward factor and ignore the actual steps to getting there?  Have you ever tried imagining the process a little more?  Do you think it could help?

They also said that fantasizing from the third person POV (where you watch yourself doing things as an observer from the outside) was more likely to result in action, but I always do that anyway.

[Wish Upon A Wish]

That's really interesting, and could well be true. After I finally decided what I want to do for my career when I'm older, I was just DDing about that for a while (not in my main storyline - sometimes they were connected, sometimes not) but then I realized I should get some education so I can be more self-sufficient (you know, organic farming on my own little mini-farm.) and we had some guy come in and talk about Telford uni, a division of Lincoln, and I decided to do a bunch of research on it and I've pretty much decided now what I'm going to do in the way of study, and I'm pretty sure I will get there. But there's not really much more I can do until August-ish when I can apply for Lincoln uni, but yeah. Mostly I do focus on the reward part, and I think I will try visualizing the process. I never do 3rd person, always first, I tried 3rd a couple of times after finding out about this and that other people do, but personally, I find it just too weird.

Thank you, though, for sharing this, and I hope it does help me or someone else =)

[greyartist]

that makes sense for normal daydreams, about things you can actually do. I don't think it would make a difference for more fantasy type MDers.

Unlike you I tend to focus more on the process then the end result. It's like when I get to the end result I can't just DD about enjoying that life, I have to start over, a different story line or repeat that one with changes. So for me it's all about the journey. Which is kind of like my real life, plodding along but never getting to the goal.

[Dusty]

Wow, that is interesting, thanks for sharing!! I usually end up daydreaming either about the end result, or about good things happening with other people taking the initiative, rather than me taking initiative, and I can see how that is likely keeping me from doing things.

At least I have some control over what i DD about so I'll think about that next time, I might even find it less hard to make friends and meet boys if I DD enough about me taking initiative and it going well may make it less intimidating. Thanks for sharing!!!