The Career-Boosting Benefits of Dreaming

By Alexandra Davis, February 7, 2021
SAVE

A bit of healthy dreaming can help us thrive personally and professionally, and there are practical steps we can take to incorporate our dreams into our realities.


In early 2017, I woke with a searing migraine. It was so bad that I could hardly see straight, and I nearly collapsed when I slid my legs from my bed onto the hardwood floor. Concerned, my husband lifted me back into bed and handed me my phone so I could call my boss. There was no way I could drive to work, let alone crank out one of my typical 10-hour days. 

I rarely, if ever, got migraines—only when I was severely stressed. However, in the past week, I’d had three. I knew it was because of my job. I’d worked hard throughout law school, studied for the bar, and put my game face on for interviews with law firms. I was elated when I finally landed a job with a great firm in my town. But within months of working there, I felt a horrific, nagging fear rise in my chest: I’d chosen the wrong profession. I was on the wrong path. This job, this line of work, was not a good fit, and it was not only stealing my joy—it was making me physically ill.

The next few months brought a tsunami of stress and anxiety: GI issues that drove me to a bevy of specialists, an autoimmune disease diagnosis, panic attacks. I cried every day, and I felt ridiculous for it. I was a lucky woman with a degree and a good job. I was not suffering any real hardship. Any legitimate trauma. Every day, I worked with people who were truly being tested, who had truly lost everything, whether it was a loved one who suffered a horrific accident or a financial transaction gone bad. I, on the other hand, had nothing to complain about. Nonetheless, I was miserable.

During this time, I often found myself daydreaming. On my lunchtime walks, on my commute, and over dinner with my husband, I caught myself envisioning a very different life, one in which I had the freedom to use my creative gifts and didn’t feel sick to my stomach all day long. One where I could earn a living doing what I loved, maybe even working from home, maybe even for myself. Maybe even writing for a living. Maybe running my own business. These dreams brought me consolation and invigorated me. Intrigued, I started to lean into them. 

As months passed and the toll of my ill-fitting job grew more severe, I started to act on these dreams. What started as a bit of daydreaming progressed into research: books, podcasts, blogs. I voraciously consumed content about women—many of them former lawyers—who started companies. Became writers. Leaned into their creative sides but earned a workable income from doing so. 

Then, I got bold: I started reaching out. I met with people in my industry to discuss a potential career pivot. I contacted bloggers to hear their stories. I even launched my own blog, and featured many of these stories on its digital pages. I couldn’t explain it at the time, but I felt an inexplicable flutter of joy and hopeful expectation in my tight, anxious chest: with this legwork, I felt like I was closing the gap between my present reality and my seemingly audacious dreams.

What felt so bold and unattainable at the time has, very slowly, become a reality. Now, I run my own business. I write for a living. I am fortunate to use both my law degree and my creative gifts. I work from home. I earn a modest, but viable living wage doing what I enjoy. It’s taken tremendous amounts of time and work, and I have a long way to go to truly see my vision come to fruition. But it started with a seed—a dream on a lunchtime walk in the biting January air.

The art and science of daydreaming

Most everyone can relate to the phenomenon of dreaming—what some people call “daydreaming” or “fantasizing.” For me, what started as escapism became a very real manifestation of what I deeply desired both professionally and personally. For others, dreaming may be a way to experiment creatively and to imagine different paths to success. 

While to practical adults, this pastime may sound juvenile, research suggests that children are not the only ones who can—and should—let themselves get caught up in dreaming. Participants in a Harvard study reported letting their minds wander 46.9 percent of their waking hours, often thinking of scenarios like getting a promotion, flying a plane, or inventing something. And while that might seem wistful or counterproductive, the same article suggests that daydreaming can actually foster creativity and encourage systematic, innovative problem-solving. In other words, it can yield real, tangible results.

Granted, dreaming can also go too far, lapsing into counterproductivity. We can likely all relate to feeling as though our heads are stuck in the clouds, leaving us detached from reality and avoiding the work—and responsibilities—in front of us. 

However, when used well, dreaming can be a powerful tool for personal change and development, especially in our careers. The key is to wield it as an instrument rather than an escape hatch from reality. There are a few practical steps that can transform dreaming from counterproductive musing to a catalyst for change.

01. Pay attention.

If you find yourself dreaming, take note of the substance. Do you consistently find yourself fantasizing about a different work situation? A different lifestyle? Pay attention to these thoughts and use them as breadcrumbs. 

Particularly pay attention to the ones that feel grounded in reality versus those that are outlandish and overwrought. For instance, a consistent daydream about being ultra-wealthy and sitting on a beach all day probably won’t serve you very well professionally.

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Alexandra Davis 
Alexandra Davis is a lawyer, writer, and business owner from Raleigh, North Carolina. When she isn't working, she can be found perusing vintage furniture stores, experimenting in the kitchen, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and hanging out on her front porch with her husband, family, and friends.