Ever since I can remember, daydreaming has been part of who I am. I still recall, when I was fourteen years old, my mom caught me making out with my pillow. She gave me the most perplexed look imaginable, and asked (truly puzzled), “What are you doing?” She got a lot of “uhs” and “ums” as I tried to convince her how wonderful the new detergent smelled. To this day, I hope she never guessed that I was picturing a muscular hottie as I clutched that pillow.
But daydreams like this are the least notable among the literally thousands I’ve ever had. I daydream ALL the time. Every day without fail! And when I say that many of my daydreams have shaped my life into what it is, I assure you, it’s no exaggeration. So after many years of successful daydreaming, the process has become an indispensable tool to set and attain my goals.
Now, I must clarify, when I say daydreaming I don’t mean the random thoughts that pop into everyone’s mind when stuck in traffic.
“Wow, look at that billboard. Powerball’s up to $53 million. Man, all the things I could do with that. Oooh, maybe I’ll buy a car like that one. Umph, I sure wouldn’t give a red cent to Uncle Bob. I wonder if he still sells dope. I can’t believe I actually bought some from him . . .”
No, that’s not what I’m talking about. Certainly, I still have random daydreams. I’m sure our minds wander in this fashion for a reason (i.e. to stay sane.) What I’m talking about is something more elaborate—something that, through the years, I’ve learned has power, something I like to call Focused Daydreaming and others—especially those in sports—may call visualization.
Focused Daydreaming is a detailed and driven exercise in which I like to play-act my deepest wishes. These daydreams are staged and acted out with painstaking accuracy. They have imaginary characters with names, people I hold conversations with, people who call me on my imaginary finger-phone and give me good news. They take place on the streets of cities I want to visit where I talk in languages I don’t even know. And in the end of each daydream, I get exactly what I want, though not until I’ve imagined all the steps needed to take me there.
You might think this is crazy, and maybe it is, but I tell you, many of my focused daydreams have actually come true.
When I was fifteen years old, I daydreamed of learning a foreign language. The whole idea was exciting to me. I thought it would be so cool to be able to travel and meet other people who were different from me. I imagined what it would take to learn a foreign language: teachers, classmates, even exams. I listened to foreign music—with lyrics that made no sense at all—and sang along, pretending I understood every single word. I had imaginary foreign friends who were awesome-cool and invited me to do fun things with them. In short, I psyched myself up so much that when the opportunity presented itself to enroll in a language school, I was primed and ready to take it. The opportunity didn’t pass me by as it would have if I hadn’t been ready. I recognized it for what it was immediately, and I took it. No hesitation. Eighteen months later, I was fluent in another language.
Then there was that crazy period during high school when I daydreamed about going to college overseas. I imagined the awesome campus, the large auditorium classes, the dorms, the graduation, and the ear-splitting cries of students on game day. Everything! I swear I could practically smell all the yummy, tailgating food. Yep, once more I was psyched over the prospect. So I maintained good grades and kept practicing said foreign language. When destiny came knocking at my door, I was ready. To be honest, by that point, I was sure I had earned it. Hell, I even deserved it.
It is no surprise, that with all this daydreaming practice, I eventually turned to writing. I guess it’s just natural. I have to put all that imagination to good use, don’t you think? J So, it’s in this area where—of late—my daydreams have concentrated. Now, you can probably imagine how my daydreams go in that department. It’s pretty much like this: I write an awesome book, I get an agent, I find a publisher, I sell millions, and I walk the red carpet! The works!
I’m not so crazy to think all of this will come true, however I know that if the opportunity parades itself in front of me, I will be more than ready to take it by the horns and wrestle it to the ground. I’m honing my skills; I’m learning the ropes; I’m connecting with my readers; I’m loving every minute of it! And—no doubt—I’m ready.
You may not think any of these accomplishments amount to much, but maybe you’ll think differently when you know that I was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras to loving, hard-working parents. I grew up in a 600 sq. ft. house, rode three buses to get to school, and counted, among my few prized possessions, a used Walkman (Man, I loved that thing!) and a pair of hand-me-down Kangaroo tennis shoes. My mother tongue is Spanish and remained the primary one until I was twenty. I earned a scholarship to go to language school when I was fifteen, and after two years of college in Honduras, I earned a Fulbright scholarship for entry into Louisiana State University where I graduated with honors. I taught myself how to write in English and published my debut novel this year.
There is no doubt in my mind that daydreams played a huge part in letting me accomplish all of this, and they will continue to do so. To borrow from Michael Jordan: “You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.”
Daydreaming is my way of setting goals, plus it is fun. What is yours?
And, yes, I did marry a muscular hottie 🙂