Zoning Isn’t All Bad…
There is a difference between being spacey, and drifting off to a far away refuge in your brain. Big difference.
Have you got a task in mind that you’ve been putting off? I always have one I especially hate. There are so many tasks that the one I hate gets filed away for later, and later, and later still. But oddly enough, one day, all of a sudden, I just seem to crank up the nerve without a thought, and, POOF, it’s done. I’ll sit there for a second after and say, “well, (sigh) that wasn’t so bad. Why in the world did I wait so long?”
I’ve discovered the answer, I think. The truth is that it WAS hard and all the steps leading up to the point of completion mattered.
Once a to-do item is stuck in your brain, it’s there until you cross it off. Like it or not, that nag is taking up real estate in your problem solving center. Day after day, as you shower, drive to work, stand on the sideline of your kid’s game, or space out during a boring meeting, and so on, its churning. The machinations move ahead whether conscious or not. You really are the master of your fate (to borrow from Henley’s Invictus). You are always building toward resolution while zoning or while intentionally seeking solutions (either from your own coffers or from a listening shoulder). In other words, I believe, in being the captain of your soul, you take care to do your very best even in the tiny recesses of your brain. That’s why solutions pop out seemingly from nowhere. The problem is, the recesses work a little slower than the fancy frontal cortex.
If I’m right, it makes sense that we could put those deeply rooted problem solving skills to work sooner than later… How so? By evoking the skill of day dreaming. No really! Research is robust on the subject. Call it guided imagery if that feels better. The bottom line is that we do better when we “see it” (our goal), which allows us to feel it and then do it. Thinking, feeling, doing: the 1-2-3 natural progression of taking action. Create the success story you’re striving toward, before a problem sinks to the recesses. Believe in it, and your soul will marshal your brain to follow. Lighten up as you go, for…
“It matters not how straight the gate!” (more Henley)
So… What are you putting off in terms of your health and well-being? An overdo annual well-visit or screening; that elusive exercise plan; or, maybe that tough conversation with a co-worker. Dream it up, and, Poof! It’s done.
For more on Day Dreaming and it’s merits, visit our friends at My Optimum Health and search “daydream” to read a fun article called “Penny For Your Thoughts”.
And… Let us know how day dreaming your desired outcomes and solutions has helped you.