Benefits of Daydreaming for Creativity as well as Calm

I love daydreaming but I feel a little guilty doing it.

According to wikipedia while daydreaming has long been derided as a lazy, non-productive pastime, daydreaming can be constructive in some contexts. There are numerous examples of people in creative or artistic careers, such as composers, novelists and filmmakers, developing new ideas through daydreaming. Similarly, research scientists, mathematicians and physicists have developed new ideas by daydreaming about their subject areas.

As a kid I was always lost in my dreams, ok I'll admit that when I was 13 it was mostly about how Paul from the Beatles would fall in love with me some day! And there are times when I've been caught not paying full attention when my husband is telling me something for the third time. But professionally I get some of my most creative, imaginative thoughts while daydreaming, and I see it as a valuable tool for coming up with fresh marketing ideas for my clients.

And as it turns out, there is some interesting research to back that up.

“Daydreaming is important, neuroscientists have found, because it allows the brain to make novel associations and connections between unrelated ideas; and the freedom to drift allows our brains to imagine abstract, highly imaginative things. As any creative person knows, these are exactly the kinds of states of mind that lead to sessions of brilliant creativity, where ideas can come as fast as you can write them down.” - Jonah Lehrer, The Boston Globe

Not a natural daydreamer and want to know how to start, here are some tips from Rick Goodfriend a corporate certified speaker on communication strategies.

1: Imagine what need or value you would enjoy having satisfied today. (Example: I need more time to complete my project.)

2: Daydream for a few seconds or longer on a strategy that may meet this need. Example: ( I daydream that I will ask my coworker for assistance. He says yes and the job is complete in half the time.) Already I can feel a calm. Now I can decide if I want to use the solution or imagine a different one. Your creativity may flow bigger and faster with ideas..

In Summary: Take a minute or two and enjoy your daydreaming. You will feel more relaxed when you have finished.

Non Profits who understand the value of a story

With fewer donations and declining investments, nonprofits have to be re-think how they raise revenue.

I recently read a great article in the Wall Street Journal By Shelly Banjo in which she gave some successful fund raising case studies.

One of the most interesting to me was about Covenant House in NYC. Why? They understood the power of their clients stories. Anyone who knows about my philosophy on marketing knows that I am a big believer in story-telling as a means to capture attention. And the way they approached the ask was true and authentic.

They had the youths who had been helped, who had lived the organizations tag line “Changing Lives, Creating Futures” reach out to the people who had given in the past and had created hope for them. Done right, what can be more powerful. According to Jerome Kilbane, Covenant House's executive director “The people receiving a nonprofit's services are the best spokespeople for the organization. After receiving a call, "the size of the donor's gift increased by 50% from the year before" on average.

Their website also supports the idea of telling individual stories. A link titled “WHERE ARE THEY NOW?” looks at past youth who have been able to accomplish their goals of living independently. A great way for donors to feel they have made a difference no matter how large their gift.