Hey friend,

In this episode, I explain a simple thought experiment to overcome constraints that block you from achieving your dreams.

If you prefer watching, you can find the YouTube video here. If reading is your thing, then enjoy the transcript below.

Welcome to The Daily Recall show. I'm your host, Vasili.

Today you will learn how to dream.

I believe most people have long forgotten how to dream.

When they were kids, they were really ambitious and excited and or the whole world seemed rosy and shiny. And they dreamed a lot. They dreamed about different things they wanted to achieve in their lives. But then life started creeping up on them. They have got deeply rooted in the present; in their responsibilities, roles, and projects. And they've got rooted so much that they have actually forgotten how to dream.

Another reason is that most people's dreams have not come true. This is a sad truth. But that's how it is.

Here's how you can design your dreams so that they come true.

The idea that helps you do that is called the reticular activation theory . It suggests that you can program your brain to notice opportunities that will lead to your goals. And the way you do that is by making a someday list and describing clearly what you want to achieve. That's how you program the reticular formation area in your brain, which is a gateway to your consciousness, to start noticing more and more opportunities to get there.

The problem is that most people are so deeply rooted in the constraints of the present, that these constraints define themselves more than they realize. And they cannot bypass them without external help. They end dreaming small.

Here's a thought experiment that might help.

Imagine that I'm a magician. Right now, from this very moment, I give you a second life to live. Now you’ve got two instead of one. And your first now just started running. And whenever you screw something up, you can cross your fingers and get back to this very moment. What would you do?

Take a pen and a piece of paper and just write down the first thoughts that came to your mind.

This thought experiment is designed specifically to help you bypass risk aversion. Because that's what most people suffer from and that’s the reason why they dream small or don’t dream at all. This nagging "But what if I fail..." question is bothering them all the time.

And thinking from the second life perspective helps you to uncover long forgotten dreams that you had when you were a kid. Maybe you wanted to dance. And now you find yourself being an accountant, because that's a job that pays good bucks, but you really feel that you're not doing anything meaningful with your life.

Here's the best part.

When you clarify why you want to do each of those things on your "second life" list, and when you clarify a successful outcome for each of those things, something magical happens. This reticular formation area in your brain starts working for you. And it helps you to bypass the constraints of the present. You start seeing new ways how you can achieve those outcomes and overcome the constraints that block you.

Thank you so much for reading.

Enjoy your day!

This transcript has been edited for clarity.

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