Dreams

In a world where I feel so small, I can’t stop thinking big.

~Neil Peart

Everyone has dreams.

Our dreams help define us as people.

As children, we grow up wanting to be rock stars, or bestselling authors, or the president. We are “thinking big” — thinking about reaching the pinnacle of our passions. But achieving this height does not just happen. The realization of any big dream takes a combination of hard work, cultivating relationships with the right people, diligent preparation, and luck.

For some, the image of our dreams drives us to obsessive routines. Practicing for hours and hours every day, reading anything they can get their hands on, endless networking. For others, dreams remain dreams.

The ability to translate dreams into actions says a lot about the person who is dreaming. This is true both in terms of what motivates their dreams and in terms of their level of pragmatism.

What motivates our dreams plays a big role in whether we can reach them. When you think about your dreams, do you think in terms of wanting to change the world for the better? Do you want to leave a legacy or be remembered? Maybe you crave admiration or respect, or maybe you just want to feel loved.

For example, of those who want to be rock stars, how many want to be great musicians or great entertainers, and how many just want to be famous and stand in front of thousands of fans?

How many of those who want to be professional athletes have that dream because they want the money and trappings of their occupation, and how many are doing it for the love of the game?

How many movie stars are successful because of their good looks and charisma, and how many because of devotion to the craft of acting?

When you think about your dream, it’s helpful to think about why you want to achieve that dream. This will also provide insight about your chances of achieving it and how you might go about achieving it.

Achieving a dream (usually) takes a lot of work. Accepting this and creating a plan can transform a dream into a set of goals.  Based on these goals, we can engage in smaller-scale steps, and ultimately things we can actually start doing today.

• What training or education do I need? Where can I get it?
• What skills must I have? In what do I need to be proficient?
• Who else is working on this? What contacts will help me along the way?
• How can I get fully informed? What do I need to read?

The truth is that only a small fraction of us will achieve the height of our dreams. Just from a numbers perspective, only a small percentage of those who try will win a gold medal in the Olympics, or invent a groundbreaking product, or play in Yankee Stadium. But that doesn’t make dreaming a waste of time, or a negative thing. And it is certainly true that you won’t achieve big dreams if you don’t try.

Calling someone a “dreamer” has had a negative connotation, but in the end, every achievement started as a dream.

Dreams are healthy, and ultimately, thinking big makes for a richer, fuller life.