The Magic of Dreaming

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The alarm clock blares, signaling another day of drudgery. You hit the snooze for as long as you dare, dreading the oncoming day until you finally jump up, catch a shower, and race to work.

You punch in at the time clock only to be greeted by your boss who has a litany of complaints and a hundred things they need you to accomplish ASAP, only to return home so brain dead that the only thing you want to do is scarf down the stale chips in your pantry and crash on the couch.

It never seems to end, does it?

Day by day, you barely have enough energy to survive, much less focus on escaping.

But you know what?

They may have enslaved your body but they can’t stop you from dreaming.

When you collapse into bed each night, imagine that you are laying down in the bed of your dreams. Use the good sheets if you have them and keep them scrupulously clean. Inhale the sweet scent of your pillow and relax because right now, at this moment, you are not a slave. You are free, and you are stretched out in your new life.

Imagine looking around at the tidy bedroom of the life you want. See yourself padding to the kitchen for a glass of milk or a midnight snack. Live your future life each night as you fall asleep.

Wake up a bit earlier each morning, turn on some classical music (classical makes one think of wealth), sit down, and think.

What can you do, right now, that will allow you to live your dream?

Write down the ideas that result from your brainstorming. In time, one of the ideas will click but for now just think.

Take a day off and just relax. Turn off the alarm clock. Cancel your appointments. Turn off the phone and ignore social media. Listen to the music that makes you feel wealthy and walk through your home. Pretend that you’ve made it; you’ve already achieved the life of your dreams.

Does your dream home contain empty take-out boxes scattered all over creation?

If not, then fix it.

Tidy the home of your future while you live in the home of your now.

Once you’re done with your quick clean-up, treat yourself to a long soak in the tub or an indulgent shower. Dress in your nicest comfy clothes and settle into your favorite spot.

For now, at this moment, you are wealthy. You’ve achieved your dream. You don’t have to go to the job. You’ve got food in your belly, clothes on your back, and your time is your own.

How will you spend it?

Perhaps wealthy you would like to research one of the ideas from your earlier brainstorming session? If so, then read a book or watch some videos on the subject. Whatever it is that you see wealthy you doing in a moment of peaceful down-time at home, do it the best that you can.

When you go to bed that night, know that you have lived the life of your dreams for a day. Savor the fact that, despite your current circumstances, they didn’t stop you from resting your body and opening your mind.

It sounds insane but it works. Taking the time to imagine the life you want to lead, to live in it now, where you currently are, will work wonders not only for your mood but for your future progress. It allows you to escape the ruts that you’ve fallen into, clear your head, and take those first tiny steps towards your dreams.

That was how I started down my path. At first, I took long soaks in the tub to hide from the misery of my life. Next, I started cleaning my home while my husband was away, pretending that I was free from my unhappy marriage and getting my life sorted.

In time I dreamed of a life where I could raise my kids without having to work in a public job. I started brainstorming ways to make it happen.

Since I loved to write and help people, I imagined a life where I could sit at home and raise my children in peace while I typed at my computer. I didn’t know how I would make that happen; I simply pretended that I was doing just that whenever I sat down to write a journal entry or whatnot.

Before I knew what hit me I had a successful website and a number of books published. Those books produced enough royalties for me to stop working entirely.

I started it all by dreaming.

I Have a Confession to Make

I had forgotten about those early days when all I could do was dream. I didn’t even realize until recently that those dreams were the first steps I took to create my reality. If not for dreaming about the life I wanted to lead, living it the best I was able in the moments I could, I would have never been inspired to start this website or write my first book.

Now that my kids are grown it is time for another dream. I’m living it now as I write this.

What do you dream?

Playing Pretend

Ever since my successful experiment I’ve been playing a game with myself. At random times as I go through my day I ask myself “what would Future Me do?”

The results have been fascinating.

Future Me has slightly different tastes than I do. I have found myself selecting different outfits for work and digging through my small stash of costume jewelry to mix things up a bit. Some of the items were discarded as Future Me curled up her nose at their condition. She’s a bit picky, it seems.

She doesn’t seem to talk as much either. Two of my coworkers have asked me why I’ve been so quiet lately. I hadn’t even realized that my behavior had changed so much until they mentioned it. I was simply moving through the store, pretending to be her as I dutifully tidied the shelves.

I’ve also seriously reduced the time I spend online. I didn’t even aim for that; I simply asked myself what Future Me would do one evening and allowed things to progress from there. Now I check my email, visit a couple of news sites, and move on with my life. I wasn’t expecting that.

I’ve done a bit more journaling over these past few days but that might just be due to the fact that I’m reveling in the new journal I treated myself to. I feel seriously wealthy when I place my thoughts upon the pages.

One of the most fascinating discoveries is the fact that I smoke less. Future Me is a nonsmoker; she tends to point out that she cares for her body and doesn’t want to mistreat it. She also reminds me that I didn’t start smoking until after I moved here so the habit isn’t that old. While I haven’t stopped smoking completely, it gives me enough pause that I find myself occasionally passing up the opportunity to smoke now.

I’m starting to wonder if this game will provide a way to completely cease the habit.

I believe that I am going to continue this game. It’s rather amusing to step aside and allow the person I envision myself in the future to take charge. Even better, this game of pretend is making me think and change some of my behaviors.

I will keep you updated on my progress.


Have you ever pretended to be your future self? What happened? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

What Would Future Me Do?

Yesterday as I began getting ready for work I noticed that several dishes had piled up in the sink. It wasn’t horrible but it was enough to make me sigh. I’d have something else to do once I returned home late that night.

Something caused me to pause: What would future me do in that situation? I asked myself.

Future me glanced at her watch. She’d started getting ready a few minutes early. If she hustled, she could knock out the dishes and still leave for work in time.

I grinned and got started. Once the dishes were done I realized that the trash needed to be taken out as well. Future me would definitely want that out of the way.

But I paused. I always run a scoop through the litterbox before I take out the trash; did I have time for all of that? I glanced at my watch again. The time was fast approaching for me to leave but if I hurried I might be able to get it done.

I double-timed the scooping, changed the trash bag, and carted it outside as I waited for the dogs to do their business. To my surprise, they apparently sensed my energy because they hurriedly did their thing.

I not only managed to complete some tasks that needed doing, I managed to scoot out the door in plenty of time to walk to work.

I might be on to something here. Normal me would have let it slide until I returned home from work — or procrastinated until my next day off, which is a common occurrence if I’m tired. By considering the issue from the eyes of the person I wish to become, however, the paradigm shifted. As a result of that shift, I accomplished more than I expected.

I will definitely have to experiment.


Have you ever looked at a situation from the eyes of the person you wish to become? Please share your stories in the comments below.