In this article, we will look at the difference between visualizing and daydreaming as it relates to manifesting.
This is the short answer:
Deliberate visualization has the power to manifest actual results. Daydreams, generally speaking, do not create results of any significance.
Even though daydreaming (in moderation) does have its benefits, it does NOT hold enough power to manifest your desire. I used to daydream all the time (as of form of escapism), yet everything stayed the same.
If you are trying to manifest a desire, you should visualize it with a sense of purpose and intention, which is very different from idle daydreaming.
How Deliberate Visualization Is Different from Daydreaming
Deliberate visualization and daydreaming are similar in that they both involve creating mental images, but they differ in their purpose and level of control. Deliberate visualization is a purposeful and intentional process of creating a mental image of a desired outcome, with the goal of manifesting that outcome in reality.
This is how I would define visualization and daydreaming:
Visualization is intentionally Imagining A Goal with the intention of Manifesting it. This has the power to impress the goal on the subconscious mind and will therefore manifest as actual results.
In a way, visualization is just intentional daydreaming done with a lot of focus.
Daydreaming is letting yourself fantasize about your desire for the purpose of feeling good. The problem with daydreaming (or at least daydreaming too much) is that it kills your motivation WITHOUT producing any desirable results.
That being said, there are cases when you manifest something by randomly daydreaming about it. But this is not a reliable method we can count as a way of reaching a goal.
Why Do Visualization Manifest And Daydreams Do Not?
Visualization makes a strong impression on the subconscious mind. Daydreaming only makes a weak impression on the subconscious mind if any impression at all.
To manifest your desire, you need to impress it on the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is the power behind all things. It will automatically initiate the manifestation of the goal in the outer world.
Many people make the mistake of merely fantasizing about their desire, thinking that this is enough to manifest it. But, because it doesn’t not, no results will appear.
In my experience, if you deliberately and persistently visualize your desire, some sort of movement is bound to happen in the outer world. And if you stick to it, the desire will eventually manifest completely.
Daydreaming Too Much
Since daydreams do not manifest, we simply end up living in a dream world.
Oftentimes daydreaming is a method our mind uses to make ourselves feel good. Many often daydream in a grandiose way about greatness and overcoming their problems. The with this problem is since daydreams don’t actually cause results in the outer world, daydreams only serve the purpose of keeping us stuck in a purely mental fantasy.
As an example, a person with a bad social life may daydream about how, one day, everyone will look up to him and admire him. The daydreaming makes this person feel great about himself, but the problem is that it also de-saturates or ruins any motivation the person has to improve his situation.
He would not have the motivation to do anything in order to change his results because his mind has been satisfied from the constant daydreaming.
Instead, this person should look at the negative results he is getting and work toward improving them (by manifesting and/or “normal” action) without killing off the motivation by losing himself in fantasy (as said, merely fantasizing or daydreaming is NOT ENOUGH for manifesting a desire.)
Visualizing Is Constructive
Let’s look at the hypothetical person from the earlier example and how he could use manifesting to improve his situation.
Instead of daydreaming, this person could instead choose to do deliberate, focused visualization. And even if he didn’t believe in the concept of manifesting, there is a lot of research showing the positive effects of visualizing without having to resort to any supernatural ideas.
Since visualizing has the power to cause the manifestation of real results, if the person used visualization backed by intention and purpose, he would NOT be wasting his time as he would daydreaming.
Suppose he spends time every day to deliberately imagine himself as a person with good relations and a great social life. In that case, he will gradually become a more confident and sociable person.
How Do You Manifest A Goal With Visualization?
So, since we have talked about deliberately visualizing something to manifest it, let’s take a brief look at how you can use it to your advantage.
1. Go Into a Meditative State
Going into a meditative state gets you in touch with the inner power. This will allow you to impress your desire on it, which will manifest in the outer world. It will also take your attention away from the outer world, making it easier for your to focus within yourself.
2. Imagine The Desire
Once in a meditative state, imagine a scene that would take place AFTER your desire has been accomplished. The scene also needs to imply (to you) the accomplishment of the desire.
For example, if the person from before wanted a better social life, he could imagine himself spending time with a group of friends.
The key is to feel the reality of your scene as if it were actually happening. I have a full guide on visualization and how to feel yourself into the scene.
Keep the scene short and straight to the point. This is partly why it’s not daydreaming.
I recommend you repeat this imaginal scene for at least 15 minutes.
3. Wake Up
After you have imagined your scene, go about your daily business. If you find an opportunity to take action toward your desire, by all means, do it. But do not force it.
Taking a look at our hypothetical person from before, if he got invited to some social event, he should definitely go. Even if it leads to nothing, it may still be an important step in the manifestation process.
How I Stopped Excessive Daydreaming
I put a lot of emphasis on the distinction between daydreaming and visualization because I myself have made the mistake of daydreaming too much. I thought, “because of manifesting, I can easily resort to my dream world.”
The problem was I ended up spending years daydreaming without ever seeing any real results. It killed my motivation to do any constructive work. I didn’t even attempt to do anything to improve my particular situation. I didn’t do any action, I didn’t spend any time in meditation, and I didn’t use my imagination in a constructive manner for the purpose of manifesting better results.
Once I realized that I was falling into this trap, I understood that I needed to become a DOER instead of a HEARER. I needed to imagine with intention and focus behind it, and I needed to test manifesting so that I could produce actual results.
Summary
These are the key differences between daydreaming and visualizing.
- Daydreaming: tends to kill your motivation. It produces no results of significance. It will more than likely keep you stuck.
- Visualization: It is more potent than daydreaming and therefore impresses the subconscious mind. It has the power to produce actual manifestations and will therefore cause significant changes.
Do not fall into the fantasy trap. Recognize that it’s something that your mind does to keep you from feeling bad. Instead, accept the negative situation, and spend your time putting in the work. Do deliberate visualization, and take action when you meet an opportunity.
I hope you found this article helpful. Thanks for Reading!
