Doctor Who and the Incredible Hulk

By Douglas Clark

I often find myself wondering what would life be like if I made other decisions and choices. It’s not so much that I regret my current state or that I’m unhappy, quite the contrary. For me, imagining the ‘what if’ scenarios that life can/could/does bring keeps me from getting mired in apathy and monotony. When I was young, I wanted to be a writer (duh), a millionaire, a super genius, and world traveler; I also wanted to be Indiana Jones, the Incredible Hulk, Captain Kirk, and a companion of Doctor Who (notice the Sci-Fi slant here?).

So what would have happened if I made different life decisions, and one of those dreams came true? (Obviously, some of those dreams will sadly never come true, so there goes my ride in the TARDIS… L, but I digress). Well I went to college and earned really good grades, so that’s probably the closest to ‘super genius’ I’ll get. I joined the Navy and did see the world, so I’m good there. I’m obviously a writer (still waiting on Random House, Harper Collins, or Simon and Shuster to give me a book deal), and try to keep writing every day. So that just leaves millionaire (guess that will have to wait until one of my books becomes a movie… see I have it all planned out).

It’s the ability to daydream and imagine the ‘what ifs’ that keep my mind fresh and vibrant. Now obviously I keep my focus and do my work, get the job done, etc., but the way I see it is this: If you imagine yourself doing something you really want to do, it’s the first step in making it actually happen. Do you see what I mean? That old saying “The power of positive thinking”, although somewhat cliché, is still true. Imagining yourself in a new job or taking on a challenging task opens the door to the skills and mindset of accomplishing those goals. (However, my boyhood dreams of building a TARDIS might not qualify. If I master Relative Dimensions and that wibbly wobbly timey wimey… stuff, I’ll get back to you)

Imagining each ‘what if’ possibility opens a new door to an entirely different life, vastly different experiences and varied knowledge and skill. Granted many of those ‘lives’ would be similar to the one I’m leading, but the more I let my imagination go free, the greater the variation. Those variations let me be me, only in a different setting. 

When you begin to see yourself living a different life, you can start moving toward that life. Now I’d love to explore the Universe like the Doctor, or command a star ship like Captain Kirk but I know that really isn’t going to happen. Refreshing my imagination with those far flung possibilities stirs up the mental pot and re-energizes me. I use that energy to focus myself and do what I do best, write. 

Where have your choices brought you?    

Thanks for reading. 

Questions and comments are welcome

The 15 Minute Daydream

By Douglas Clark

Okay, so finding 10-15 minutes out of my day to just daydream turned out to be a little harder than I thought. But then I realized, I go for a 2 mile run at least twice a week, so I’d do it then. Usually, I listen to my ipod while I run and just zone out. Most of the time I don’t really even pay attention to anything; it makes the run go by faster. This time however, I paid attention to my mind’s wandering. So, in no particular order here are the top five things I found myself being drawn to:

          1. Character development and further plot twists for a  novel I’m about to start

          2. Oddly enough, bagels

          3. Sex (yup, I’m a guy)

          4. The condos being constructed near my apartment (I want one)

          5. Possibly running a marathon, or a half marathon, or just starting with a 5k.

If there were others I didn’t pay enough attention to them for them to register in my memory. What’s funny is that when I started out, I thought allowing myself to daydream would bring me to a fantasy land of magical or sci fi type wonders. Turns out, my mind is currently entrenched in more realistic things. Now that’s not to say if I took more time my thoughts might become more outlandish. Who knows? I’m pretty sure that because I’m older now and required to carry more responsibilities, it weighs me down just a bit when it comes to letting my mind release from all of those things I need to control. Kids seem to possess an infinite reservoir of imagination and creative thinking, mostly because they aren’t encumbered by the pragmatic, somewhat cynical, and harsh realities of life.

I’ve always strived to hold on to that youthful wonder. I think far too often, people let go of dreams and desires and replace them with chores and menial tasks and call it being responsible. I actually think that is kind of depressing. Don’t you? Well, that’s why I let myself daydream. The kid in me has more to say, and I need to listen to him every once in a while. What do you think?

Thanks for reading.
Questions and Comments are welcome.

DouglasHClark.com

Let Your Mind Wander

Douglas Clark
-Head writer, The Inspiration Engine

Do you daydream? How about just letting your mind wander to where ever it may go? I’ve often heard the old saying “you’re either a dreamer or a doer.” However, that seems rather restrictive doesn’t it? Daydreaming lets your brain explore possibilities that we all know pragmatism and reality would squash in a second. I find that some of my best ideas come to me when I just let go of all the mental baggage, all the stresses, all my cares and responsibilities and just simply think.

Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? But it’s not. So I’m going to pose a simple challenge. In the next few days, find time to carve out about 10 minutes of free, daydreaming time to just let your mind wander. Take note of what comes to mind, write them down even, and see what inspiration you can come up with. I’d say take about five minutes before hand to really relax and unwind first, just to make sure you’re still not pestering yourself about doing the dishes or folding the laundry.

I’ll post up a list of the things my wandering mind comes up with. I hope you try it. Good luck.

Thanks for reading.

Questions and Comments are welcome

DouglasHClark.com