why we should embrace our imagination

My national football team has qualified to play in the world cup this year for the first time since 1998, so the whole country enjoyed and celebrated the accomplishment, I was too young to remember the event, but I grew up in a family obsessed with this sport, so I used to hear stories about how we played well and didn’t deserve to be knocked out...etc

I was playing football with my friends on a small pitch in the middle of the city, minding my own business, and after we finished, a man was approaching me, I recognized him from distance by being the assistant manager of our national team, he’s a country legend, and was in fact part of the last team to play in the world cup, he came and said:

-what’s your name?

I was shocked and stood paralyzed, I didn’t know what to say.

He repeated his question with a little smile on his face while shaking me to check if I’m still alive.

I answered with a low voice like I was facing a group of lions in the middle of the woods.

-Isaak.

-Well Isaak, that was one hell of a game you played there, you have a special talent my son.

I was still shocked but atleast I recovered my voice back.

-Thank you sir.

-Tell me Isaak, do you play professionally?

-No sir.

-Why is that?

- Well sir, I just didn’t have the chance, the opportunity never came, and I never was really that concerned about it.

-See Isaak, I’ll cut straight to the point, we’re a little bit short on left-footed defenders, and after watching you play, I was convinced that you fit perfectly into that position, so what do you think? Do you want the opportunity to represent your country in the world cup?

I stood still for a whole minute and never answered, I was discussing the situation with myself, what he’s talking about, is he crazy, how can I represent my country when I’m not even a pro.

and finally, I was capable of uttering something and replayed.

-Is it possible, I’m not even a pro, and I never trained with a team.

-Don’t worry about that, leave it to me, we still have six months until the beginning of the tournament, I’ll make sure you’ll be fit enough to play, I just need your approval.

-Well, if you see so sir, I don’t have any reason to decline your request, in fact, it will be an honor to play for the national team.

Afterward, I accompanied him, and we talked about some details.

The time passed, I was summoned by the team coach, I traveled with the group, I didn’t play the first games, the manager didn’t trust me enough to give me the opportunity, even if the team’s left-back wasn’t giving the best performance possible, mainly because he’s originally a right back.

The games proceeded, we managed to go through the group stage, suddenly, at the sixteenth round’s game, the left-back was injured, the coach didn’t know what to do, and his assistant urged him to play me, it was the eightieth minute, we were down 0-1, he made the surprise call, I was warming up when he shouted for me to enter the game, I made an assist for the equalizer, then at the ninetieth-three minute, I scored the winner, everyone went crazy, I didn’t believe it, we managed to qualify to the quarter-final for the first time in our history.

we played the next game, I made another assist, we won 2-0, the next round, we qualified throughout penalty kicks, it was a complicated and difficult game, and here we are now, at the most-watched and anticipated game in football history, the glorious world cup final.

the match started, it was scoreless, every team had his chances, I hit the bar post from a free kick, then at the ninetieth two minute, when all the arena was waiting for the referee’s whistle to go to extra time, our winger took the ball and went dribbling past the opponents, he was sprinting with all his pace, I knew he will cross it to the other side, so I pushed higher against the coach’s instructions, he crossed it, the defenders intercepted it, and it bounced back toward me, the time stoped for some seconds, it felt like someone activated the slow motion, I knew where I’ll hit it, I made the choice and shot with all my might, I closed my eyes like I was praying, and when I opened them, all the players were running toward me, screaming and shouting, you did it, you did it, we won the world cup, It was the happiest moment in my life, and the one who secured the winner wasn’t even a professional player, what a storie it was.

That was one of my regular daily daydreams, yes I honestly daydream alot, sometimes without even noticing it, but it’s not always this sort of dreams, it’s usually a mix of both, realistic daydreams that I can accomplish in the future, and some unrealistic ones like what I described above.

I always wondered, why we get this sort of daydreams? Does everyone go through the same experience? Does it have any bad side, or it’s fine to daydream? Can we somehow benefit from that sort of vision?

Those are the questions that influenced me to write this article, to try to understand and explain this weird and unique phenomenon.

First, what is daydreaming? Or also what’s called mind wandering, and the simplest meaning is,

It’s a state of mind where our brain wander in a second “reality” that he created while being awake, it’s like our eyes become capable of seeing two realities simultaneously, and we still manage to live in both of those worlds, but only if we don’t interact or engage with anyone from the first one.

What astonishes me the most is our capability of engaging in some sort of activity while living in the second world of our creation, I’m sometimes daydreaming while riding my bike or doing my running session in the morning, without losing focus, I think it’s because our brain got used to moving the body in order to execute those movements without actually thinking about it, so basically, it’s like we’re running on autopilot in the first world while thinking of and imagining the second one.

This phenomenon is a pure illustration of the mysterious capabilities of both our conscious and subconscious minds, yet so many people underestimate this experience and think of it as a sign of sanity and delusion, but I, on the contrary, appreciate it and actually enjoy it, it allows me to break from our world’s limiting rules and take a trip in the sea of our thoughts and dreams, it’s not always about dreaming of being a superhero, a movie star or a world cup champion, sometimes, it allows you to travel to the future and observe the manifestation of your ideas and plans.

Like Eric Klinger, professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota said “ we think of daydreams as scatterbrained and unfocused, but one of the functions of daydreaming is to keep your life’s agenda in front of you; it reminds you of what’s coming up, it rehearses new situations, plans the future and scans past experiences so you can learn from them”

The reason why we go through those experiences can differ from one individual to another, yet there are some common causes that are based on scientific research and surveys, or on personal opinions.

Humans love to be noticed and acknowledged, we crave other’s attention and appreciation, even if we deny it.

So when we feel ignored and unimportant inside our surroundings and environment, our brain or subconscious mind based on those feelings creates some sort of alternative reality, where we can finally receive the appreciation we think we deserve.

Cliff Arnall, a psychologist who runs the no pills practice in Wales says, “daydreams that recur, particulate escapist ones, can mean that you need to change something in your life, it doesn’t have to be something dramatic, it could just be taking up an activity or hobby, to give you stimulation or the recognition you feel you lack”

Arnall’s idea fits some kinds of daydreaming, for example, if you picture yourself a body-building champion, then perhaps it’s a sign to get up from the couch and start working out, it may be the start of something that could change your life.

But this is not always the case, sometimes daydreams can be a source of joy and happiness, especially if we’re going through some difficult moments in our lives, then we tend to wander off into the dream’s land, where only peace and happiness rules the place, and we hope that those

Feelings could replace our reality’s sadness, stress and despair, even if temporary.

Daydreaming could also be a great source of a hormone called ‘Dopamine’, I think we are all familiar with what is this hormone, what’s its rôle in our brain and how it affects us, but maybe I’ll talk about it in a different occasion, the main idea is that it affects how we feel pleasure, and our brain could easily get used to releasing this neurotransmitter without making an effort, it’s the same thing as playing videogames, watching tv or watching porn, and many other activities.

yep, sometimes daydreaming of being a superhero and saving the world from the bad guys can equal the delight and satisfaction you could get from having sex.

It’s up to us to choose which type of daydreams we’ll have, yes as you heard, it’s like any other addictive hobby or activity, we can somehow control the objectif of our daydreams if we decide that we don’t desire those fake ecstasy feelings; then our subconscious will only display some meaningful visions, ar atleast that what worked out for me because I realized we still have some aspect of control over our brain when we’re awake, unlike sleep’s dreams, those are a different story and absolutely out of our control, we can still adjust our brain’s settings to stop being carried away in some unrealistic and unattainable dreams, and instead, focus on those positive and meaningful daydreams that could have a huge impact on our lives.

I recently watched a brief video of an interview with the rapper Drake, where he said that he used to walk through some rich neighborhood, and he used to imagine himself living in one of those houses, he used to do it everyday, so eventually, it did manifest, he did buy a home in that area.

The bottom line is, it’s in our hands to decide what our daydreams should be about, rather than canceling them out, but at the same time, you can’t be slacking and procrastinating while daydreaming, hoping that your drams will someday manifest, instead, we can use them to fuel our mental and spiritual power and determination, it can be used as a source of motivation to start working harder and grinding, knowing that your goal will eventually come true.