By Raj Mistry
How many times have you daydreamed about the relationship, success, career or some superhero desires? It could be a date with Emma Watson, flying on a broom with Harry Potter, fighting a battle with Iron Man, or becoming the emperor of the world.
We sometimes spend hours imagining scenarios in our head while actually doing nothing. Because it’s quick — without any action or effort, you can achieve anything, anytime, and anywhere. And we get stuck in imagining the scenarios instead of achieving them.
To actually achieve something, you have to work for it — be consistent, patient, and persistent. Even then, there’s no guarantee of success. And if you fail, you feel like all your effort went in vain. But when imagining, you don’t have to worry about failing. It’s a guaranteed success, perfectly designed by you. If you want to change your path in imagination, you can instantly do it — jump from one dream to another, from success to success, without facing any real consequences.
In real life, even when we put in effort to achieve something, the most enjoyable part is often the journey. It can be long, hard, or painful at times — but chasing a goal, learning, growing, and improving along the way is more beautiful and satisfying than simply reaching the destination.
For example, you may desire some popular delicacy in another city. You read glowing reviews, your friends recommend it, and your imagination builds it up until your mouth waters just thinking about it — even though you’ve never tasted it. When you finally travel and try it, you might be disappointed. It’s not bad, but it’s not what your mind had imagined. And yet, you’ll always remember how good it felt to imagine it.
The same goes for trekking to a waterfall — you’re energetic throughout the journey, but when you arrive, maybe the waterfall is dry or smaller than expected.
Or chasing a girl to make her your girlfriend — the pursuit feels thrilling and romantic, but once you succeed, reality sets in. You might realize that one-sided love was more beautiful than the relationship itself.
Getting trapped in constantly imagining such things to feel good can make you emotionally lethargic. You drown yourself in imagination and lose motivation to take real action. And now, VR (Virtual Reality) has brought that imagination to life — you can play the main character, win battles, and experience success without ever leaving your room.
If you’ve had a bad day, you can become a boxer, fight a boss character, and feel powerful. Similarly, narcotics and alcohol can offer a false sense of achievement — altering your perception to show you a “different reality” crafted by your subconscious,
It’s comforting — but dangerous. Because the more you feed that imagination, the less energy you have to create real experiences.
So while it’s okay to dream, don’t get addicted to potential. Use imagination as a spark — not as a substitute for effort. Because real joy doesn’t come from perfect dreams, but from imperfect actions.
