Why Daydreaming Is So Powerful for Your Finances

We're all so busy at the moment. I'm here to ask you to take a moment, have a breather, and then make some space in your calendar for daydreaming - and here's why..

Do you ever look around at your life and wonder how did I get here?

I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that you got there through the power of your actions and choices, and the good news is... that you got there through the power of your actions and choices.

Life is probably great but you're so busy, you never stopped to notice. 

That means, you've probably never stopped to be grateful to past-you, who made these great choices. And you've probably never stopped to look at what exactly those choices were.

Daydreaming Is Not Just for Kids!

A long time ago, my life was hell. 

A colleague had lost his fight with stress and depression, and left a huge financial mess behind. My husband and I were fighting, stressed and exhausted with my accounting firm, his work, the kids and everything.

Something had to give, and I didn't want it to be us. 

I wanted to talk about that decision specifically because I came to it in crisis, but I didn't make decisions in that moment. I had to wait. I had to think. I had to find a solution, and then action it. 

Recognising this was a crisis was super powerful. Recognising that I wanted something different from what I had was the beginning of a journey. No one jumps into a car and just drives for years without using a GPS, a calendar, a few simple tools. Yet sometimes it feels like this is how we're supposed to navigate our lives!

I saw things were about to get crunchy. I had to find a way out of the crunch before we got swallowed. I had to find a destination that took the good things in our life and brought them along for the ride, and dumped the things that were exhausting us. 

Daydreaming Is the Best Way to Plan Your Future 

There's a lot of reasons why day dreaming can help you to plan the future. You're drawing on multiple areas of your brain, and when you do it gently, you are also inviting your subconscious to be involved! If you've read any of the habit books out there you'll know your subconscious is actually steering most of your choices. So finding ways to get your subconscious working ON your side rather than blithely just doing whatever it has always done is powerful!

And you're letting your mind play. Play is important, again engaging multiple parts of the brain and bringing pleasure into your life. If you're relaxed and open, you never know what a daydream might teach you, or what it might include! The more you daydream about what you want from your life, your finances and your family, the clearer it becomes and the easier it is to bring it to reality.

Plus if your subconscious is on your side, it will start to spot opportunities and changes you can put into place immediately, whether it's a little thought that pops up with "but what about the margaritas in Bali?" when you go to buy a coffee so you save your pennies, through to "hey, don't I have a bunch of vouchers for free coffee from a year or two ago? I wonder if I can still use those...".

How to Daydream as an Adult

Finding five minutes to sit in peace and think can be quite the luxury!

Here's some ideas and hints on how to get away with a sneaky little daydream, even at a busy office or home.

• Pretend your tea is super hot, and stare into it with both hands nursing it. Pretend you're brooding!

• Put on your headset, and stare intently out the window like you're on a call. Bonus points for frowning or a good angry face.

• Water any plants in the office, one small cup at a time, keeping your head down and focused on the next plant. No harm in a walking daydream! 

• Book a meeting with yourself and a notepad in the meeting room for a few minutes. Not only does it look like you're waiting for your team mates, but you have pen and paper to write down thoughts and notes from your daydream! 

• Of course the best place at home or office is hiding in the bathroom or wardrobe. Just don't stay there forever!

Changes Take More Than Just Daydreams

Opening yourself up to the possibility of change is not enough in itself. You also need to do other things, like act. 

Starting can be as simple as talking to your partner or family about your ideas, and seeing what they come up with. If the car has a destination, it's so much easier to get there! There's always side quests, but knowing what the end goal is, and refining and tweaking it along the way is the most joyful, fastest way to success.

If you've done your daydreaming and you want to get support along the path, I'm here for you with my blog posts, newsletter and best of all, my Couples Money Mentoring program, designed specifically for busy parents who want to change the story.

Find out more here: 

https://intentionalmoney.com.au/couples-money-mentoring