Everything is fantasy

It is. Think about it. Everything. This doesn’t just apply to people who create something from nothing. This applies to everyone. That includes you.

All people do this

There’s no job that you can mention that doesn’t do this – bricklayer, marketing exec, race car driver, CEO, artist, writer, stay at home mom. You have to think about what you are going to do before you do it. Even if your job is repetitive. The bricklayer checks the weather and has to make sure the humidity or rain isn’t too much. He envisions the road being muddy. The marketing exec composes an ad and then imagines people clicking on it, and the numbers it generates. The race car driver imagines the pull of the g’s in the turn, the lack of vision from the helmet, etc. Everything is first imagined and then realized. And yes, sometimes it’s not realized, often it is realized differently than it was imagined, and sometimes it comes to fruition exactly as imagined. For a creative, those are the weirdest times. Trust me.

Time

It is because of time that fantasy becomes reality. You think it, you imagine it, and then it happens. Sometimes it happens differently and you adjust, and learn and then fantasize differently. There is no escaping this. Even if in the middle of raking leaves you drop the rake, run inside and decide to make a pizza you are still walking through (fantasizing) about how the stuff is going to mix, and even how it will smell. Time creates this. Time enables this.

The takeaways

So now what? Listen to the podcast and find out…

Transcript:

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You’re listening to the Mark Bradford Alchemy for Life podcast

Creating Something from Nothing

Hey there, welcome back.
Today’s chat is from the perspective of someone who creates fiction — something from nothing, something that doesn’t exist and likely never will.

But this applies to everyone, not just writers. Whatever your job or role is — bricklayer, stay-at-home parent — you still run scenarios in your head. You plan. You imagine.

Fantasy Until Reality

Here’s the point: It’s all fantasy until it’s reality.
That’s how our brains work. That’s how time works.

Even if you’ve done something a thousand times, you still visualize it — like building a wall or laying bricks. The weather forecast is a perfect example: pure fantasy until it either rains or it doesn’t.

The Role of Imagination

You’re constantly visualizing:

• The rain
• The way you’ll build
• The way things will go

Even something simple, like deciding to make a pizza, includes a mental walkthrough — what ingredients you’ll use, how it’ll taste, how you’ll prepare it.

Forced Mindfulness & the Flow of Time

We’re told to “stay in the moment,” but that’s hard — the moment is always fleeting.
Mindfulness says:

• Don’t get lost in what might happen
• Focus on what you’re doing now

But fantasy is a useful engine. It’s not just dreaming — it’s preparation.

Conversation Rehearsals and Dread

Raise your hand if you’ve rehearsed a conversation in your head — with your boss, your spouse, a client — and imagined it going badly.
We do this to prepare, though it often turns into dread.

What To Do With This Awareness

So what now?

• Step 1: Be aware of this
• Step 2: Use it to your advantage

Mental Rehearsal = Better Performance

Studies show that mentally rehearsing a physical task improves your actual performance.
Whether it’s:

• Riding a bike
• Playing tennis
• Giving a talk

If you mentally go through it with energy and intention, your reality will better match your fantasy.

Applying This to Your Life

This applies to:

• Mundane tasks
• Creative tasks
• Conversations
• Anything that requires action

Writers and coders know the terror of a blank page or screen. That fantasy — imagining the process, the results — drives action.

The Hidden Power of Fantasy

You’ve never heard it framed this way because people avoid calling it what it is.

They say:

• “Be mindful”
• “Luck favors the prepared”
• “Visualize success”

But it’s all the same: Fantasy shaping reality.

Closing Thoughts

Everything is fantasy until it becomes reality.

Thanks for listening — your feedback means a lot.

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