Where are you right now? 

You may think you are at home, tending to mundane activities, but part of you is still at work, unable to let go of the problem you’re trying to solve, at the beach, dreaming of that tropical vacation, across the street, unable to extricate yourself from the rumble of a passing motorcycle, at the restaurant, choosing what to order for dinner.

Our minds are in the future, creating many versions of our lives, and in the past, holding onto memories, we are here and in all those other places at the same time.

We are conditioned to believe our inner worlds don’t matter, that they’re just an idle pastime, and they denote lack of focus when the only thing worth effort and attention is the here and now. Nothing ever improves in the here and now. Here and now are finished products of your mental activity, and as such, not subject to change.

Our inner worlds are prototypes for that future, model alternate realities of how we perceive our life should be. Not only are they not idle time wasters, they are essential if we want to set and accomplish any goals.

Our inner worlds allow us truly to be ourselves.

Not all inner worlds have a practical purpose: our minds birth environments and events that don’t and can’t exist, spring up creative expressions we can’t even understand, which inspire us to make poetry and art.

And then there is the wonderful world of dreams, and they’re higher representations, the vision quests, just as much removed from our willfulness and rational meddling as reality itself.

Why one needs the first three is obvious. The fourth one makes sense in difficult and chaotic situations, when keeping your mind straight about what you believe to be true and what matters to you is essential to your survival.

Share your inner worlds. They are beautiful expressions of your soul. We make reality one thought at a time, and sharing this creative process with others can be a wonderfully fulfilling experience, but you should have at least one mind place, one world, that is yours alone.

In conclusion, what are the points worth remembering?

1. Your body may be in one place, but your mind is in many places at once: the world in front of our eyes is just one of the many we create for ourselves.
2. Our vision of the future, our memories, our dreams, our fantasy worlds, they are all real worlds, and are no less valuable than our real circumstances.
3. Creating and exploring your inner worlds is essential to your creativity and emotional health, and vital for setting goals.
4. We don’t mind the here and now. Here and now is a finished product, no longer subject to improvement. We mind our future worlds, the many versions thereof.
5. In dreams, fantasies and visions, our minds create worlds that don’t and often can’t exist, but inspire us to create poetry and art.
6. One should have at least four inner worlds: a vision of one’s future, a memory palace, a place to dream free and a sanctum of immutable truths.
7. Sharing your inner worlds with others can yield wonderfully fulfilling experiences, but you should have at least one world that is yours alone.