What Is A Dreamer Personality? (8 traits + tips)

I’ve always been a daydreamer. Possibility, opportunity, wide eyes — it’s all in my wheelhouse. So, what’s a dreamer personality exactly?

For me, it’s a way of thinking, feeling, seeing and behaving. It’s a way of living.

And I think most of us (at some level) have dream-thinker tendencies. So this post explores what it all means.

Let’s get to it.

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So, What Is A Dreamer Personality?

A dreamer personality (or a dreamer mindset) is a way of thinking, speaking and acting that’s forward thinking and is often accompanied with an unrelenting belief that anything is possible.

It’s pretty optimistic sounding.

But to be fair, this type of personality could be viewed as either positive or negative. For example, is being realistic better than living in the clouds?

I don’t know the answer. And it’s probably different for everyone and pretty contextual too. But I definitely prefer to prioritize the potential of life rather than a sort of fixed mindset.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s important to hold onto reality and be strategic with our dreams and actions.

But I suppose it’s all about balance. We can benefit from having both sides of the coin.

Dream big – but create a realistic action plan.

The Benefits of Being A Dreamer

Being able to think like a dreamer is awesome – it’s just fun.

So let’s explore some of these benefits.

These are the things I often feel as a self prescribed dreamer myself. But let me know in the comments of any other benefits you’ve got — would love to hear them!

Being able to see silver linings and the bright side of things
Being able to think outside of the box and offer unconventional solutions or ideas
The ability to be your own source of inspiration
It’s a boost in confidence to pursue your, well, dreams
You tend to see multiple angles and paths forward — being able to connect the dots
You tend to have more of a growth mindset
Being able to handle challenges and setbacks with more resilience
Daydreaming is a form of meditation, which has a ton of secondary benefits

8 Core Traits of A Dreamer (+ tips)

Are you a dreamer? If not, it’s like any skill – you can become one.

So here are some of the top traits of having a dreamer personality.

1. Creativity

Creativity requires some dreaming. Or at least, it’s stronger within a dreamer framework.

I think there’s a reason artists, musicians, authors and other creatives have such strong imaginations.

I believe this stems from a dreamer personality baseline.

So if you’re the creative type already, then dream on. If not, there are some ways to become more creative.

Quick tips to be more creative:

Don’t worry about quality, focus on quantity
Hang around more creative people
Shift to a growth mindset (more on that below)

Recommended: How to Be More Creative

2. Optimism

I think we can all benefit from being more optimistic (and being around more optimistic people).

I think there’s nothing wrong with balance and appreciating both the ups and downs of, well, anything.

But the ability to find a silver lining requires a certain perspective – one that suits the dreamer personality perfectly.

Dreamers tend to have an idealistic view of the future, so an inherent sense of optimism is in our nature.

Quick tips to be more optimistic:

Stop watching the news
Hang around more optimistic people
Practice gratitude and meditation

Recommended: How I Stay Happy-Go-Lucky

3. Having Problem-Solving Skills

Of course, dreamers aren’t the only ones with problem-solving skills.

But we do offer a unique approach to solving life’s woes.

Our tendencies for creativity and seeing opportunity (i.e., positivity) help us to think outside of the box.

This creates a unique ability to solve problems and come up with unique solutions that others may not see or realize.

Quick tips to be develop problem-solving skills:

Make complex problems simpler by reverse engineering them into their component parts
Find the source(s) of the problem – and fix those first
Collaborate and brainstorm with other people

4. Curiosity + A Growth Mindset

The dreamer personality is one that’s perpetually curious and operating from a growth perspective.

We’re constantly learning and starting new things (albeit, not always finishing them).

Just as the dreamer is able to appreciate the future potential of things, they accept and expect that they can learn anything, adapt and overcome most any challenge.

This is a growth mindset in a nutshell.

Quick tips for developing a growth mindset:

Study neuroplasticity
Boost your motivation by focusing on small, daily incremental change vs. massive leaps forward
Start stacking skills to take advantage of the compound effect

5. A Laid-Back, Casual Attitude

The dreamer is chill. The dreamer abides (- as I’m sure The Dude would tell us).

As dreamers, we’re constantly convinced that it will all work out. That stressing about something simply means we suffer twice and solves no real problems.

This all creates a casual demeanor.

Sometimes however, this laid-back, casual approach leads to general inaction, or worse, complacency – you know, just staying in the dreamer stage.

So we need to remember discipline will get us to where we want more than the dreamy idea.

Quick tips to relax more:

Take a break, get out in nature or get away
Meditate and practice breathing exercises
Try journaling or stream of consciousness writing

Recommended: How to Be More Chill In Life

6. Being In Touch With Your Emotions

Dreamers are empathetic, intuitive and in touch with their emotions.

Of course, that doesn’t mean only people with a dreamer personality are this way – of course not.

But the enjoyment of dreaming is often attached to strong beliefs and emotions. There’s a strong sense of connection and visualization to dreaming.

A dreamer personality questions things, is curious and hyper-aware, is difficult to offend and easily lets go of mistakes.

These all indicate traits of a high EQ (emotional quotient).

Quick tips to boost your EQ:

Observe, reflect and question how you feel and behave
Listen more than you speak and practice imagining yourself in other people’s situations
Meditate and practice positivity and gratitude

7. A Love for Going Against the Grain

Oh, to be contrarian.

The confidence to go against the current is one of my favorite traits of the dreamer personality.

Often, the dreams and ideal futures we concoct in our minds are against, or contrary, to popular opinion, belief and reality based on current facts.

This does not shake us.

We thrive in adversity and challenges to our ideals – because deep down, for better or for worse, we believe we’re right and will stop at nothing to continue dreaming.

Quick tips to be more confidently contrarian:

Practice divergent thinking
Question widely held beliefs or views – look for new ways of thinking
Go traveling

Recommended: How to Be Different

8. Adventurous

Being adventurous just makes life sweeter.

So this is an awesome character trait of the dreamer personality. We view obstacles, problems and life in general as a fun journey with exciting twists and turns.

Because we tend to have vivid ideals of what life can be, our willingness to take risks, try new things and take more adventures is higher.

I’m currently writing this post in a cafe outside of Tokyo, while casually dreaming up my next trip.

What can I say, I love a good adventure.

Quick tips to be more adventurous: