Dreamer by Supertramp

Have you ever been accused of being a dreamer? I bet if you have, it’s been as an insult. To quote the words of the Supertramp hit Dreamer:

“Dreamer, you stupid little dreamer.”

But what if being a dreamer was considered a quality which was appreciated and understood to be good for us?

When it comes to our wellbeing, enabling and encouraging the dreamer in us can have significant emotional and practical benefits. Perhaps even more surprisingly, this could even have a knock-on effect of making us more efficient and productive.

As humans, we have immense creative potential. This might be expressed in a variety of ways; arts, music, construction, cooking, sports etc. But what is clear, according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, is that it is only when we engage our creative side that we feel fully human.

When we allow ourselves to express our creativity, through whatever means we enjoy, there is something more we get from life. We feel refreshed, energised and enthusiastic. These resultant feelings are important for our wellbeing. They help us to appreciate the fullness of being human; the idea that we are more than functionaries in some sort of corporate social machine.

As a life coach, I get to see the immense pleasure and refreshment people get to experience when they rediscover acts of joy and imagination. Almost a return to childlike wonder and a liberation from the more tedious feelings we might experience as adults.

Yet, there is also a very logical and serious implication of this for our lives as responsible adults. When we reignite the joys and wonders of a childlike mindset, we are often far more energised to be productive. To see the purpose of our everyday acts and undertake them with a renewed understanding rather than grudging repetitiveness.

So, what to do? How can we become productive dreamer? Often, we don’t need to make extensive changes, but rather slight changes of priority and emphasis. Booking a holiday, changing a routine, incorporating some form of ‘play’ in to our daily habits. In the words of Supertramp, simply being able to remind ourselves,

“What a day, a year, a life it is!”

Need some help dreaming again? Why not consider booking an appointment with the author, Dr Dave Wood?

Dreamer can be found on The Very Best of Supertramp.