There was a time when I was living two lives at the same time.
One — the real one.
The other — far more interesting.
In that world, I was unstoppable.
Some days I was a cricketer breaking records.
Some days I was building a massive business empire.
Sometimes… I was just impressing my crush like a movie hero 😄
All this used to happen:
- while driving
- while waiting
- even in the restroom
No planning. No effort.
It just played automatically.
And then… it stopped.
Not suddenly.
Slowly… silently.
I didn’t even notice when my brain stopped creating those worlds.
Now if I sit idle:
- I think about bills
- I think about health
- I think about what to do next
Earlier: “What if I become this?”
Now: “What should I do tomorrow?”
That shift… is adulthood.
So what were those fantasies actually?
Not madness. Not timepass.
They were actually your brain’s private cinema + strategy lab.
Sounds funny… but it’s true.
- A cricketer imagines hitting a six before he actually does
- An entrepreneur imagines success before taking risk
- Even actors live scenes in their head before performing
So what we casually call fantasy is actually:
👉 practice without consequences
The truth — fantasies are both powerful and dangerous
👍 The good side
- They give you confidence without proof
- They help you dream bigger than your current life
- They act as stress relief
- They shape your identity silently
Honestly… many of my ambitions started there.
The risky side
- You can get addicted to it
- You may delay real action
- You may expect life to behave like your imagination
👉 Living only in fantasy = escape
👉 Using fantasy = power
Then why did it disappear?
Simple.
Life got heavier.
Responsibilities came in:
- family
- money
- health
- expectations
Your brain switched mode.
From:
👉 creative mode
To:
👉 survival mode
And survival mode has no time for cinema.
But here is what hit me
I didn’t lose imagination.
👉 I just stopped giving myself permission to be useless.
Because fantasy needs:
- empty time
- relaxed mind
- no guilt
Today even when I sit idle,
there is a small voice inside:
“Why are you wasting time?”
And that one sentence kills imagination.
So should we stop fantasies completely?
Big mistake if we do that.
Because without imagination:
- creativity dies
- thinking becomes rigid
- life becomes routine
You may become “practical”…
but you lose vision
What to do instead?
Don’t stop it.
👉 Upgrade it.
Earlier it was random:
- hero
- cricket
- movies
Now make it intentional:
- What if my business scales 10x?
- What if my idea becomes a category leader?
- What would my life look like at the next level?
Same imagination…
but now with direction.
Why this matters
Because your brain is powerful in a strange way.
It doesn’t fully differentiate between:
- what you imagine
- what you experience
So when you imagine correctly:
- fear reduces
- clarity improves
- execution becomes easier
👉 Your fantasy world becomes a rehearsal ground
My realisation
That parallel world is not gone.
It is just… waiting.
Waiting for:
- a relaxed moment
- a guilt-free pause
- a little space
And maybe now, it can return in a better form.
Not just to escape life…
👉 but to design it.
If you still have that world somewhere inside…
Don’t shut it down.
Just…
open the door once in a while.
fantasy, imagination, daydreaming, parallel world, adult life,
AnandNataraj 