The strategy that turns daydreams into reality

It is natural to daydream about the things we want - how wonderful it would be if you learned a new language or wrote a novel. But, merely visualising a brighter future won't make it more likely.

Research shows that we should make pragmatic plans to accomplish our goals. To prevent our good intentions from remaining wishful thinking, we should compare our vision with our current circumstance, identify the obstacles, and find the best way to overcome them.

It is speculated that people confuse daydreams for reality. The warm emotions from the fantasies lead them to feel as if they'd already met their goals. It results in not putting in the hard work needed for success.

Positive thinking on its own could be counter-productive. Research shows that dieters who fantasized about weight loss are less likely to lose weight. Students who dream of academic success tend to get worse grades than those who don't.