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This week’s post is a simple call to action:  Dream!  Make your dream the focal point of your life plan.  Help the people around you dream.  Encourage them to explore their dreams, without judgment.  Within your organization, put your shared dream front and center.  Build your strategic plan, and organizational culture, around your shared dream.

The Power of a Dream

I have a dream.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

There is a reason why this is one of the most powerful phrases ever uttered. Dreams offer an inspiring vision for our future and move us to action. Dreaming, therefore, is a fundamental skill for any social leader.

People’s Biggest Regret: Not Living Their Dreams

A recent study by Cornell University and the New School for Social Research concluded that most people regret not pursuing dreams. It is more satisfying to try and fail than to never try at all.

Dreaming vs. Goal Setting

When we were kids, everyone celebrated our dreams of becoming engineers or teachers. Then, at around 12 or 13, we were expected to stop dreaming and start setting goals. Are dreams and goals the same thing? I don’t think so!

Dreaming is Natural and Visceral

Dreams are intrinsic to human nature. Children, while playing, naturally visualize an ideal self. We are at our freest when we dream.

A goal, on the other hand, is like a dream’s boring twin. It focuses on the chores instead of the sense of possibility.

Dreams Provide Focus

A dream has 2 primary purposes:

• It informs who we have to be, what we have to know and what we have to do to achieve it
• It gives us an end result to strive for

Dreams Inspire

Dreams spark our imagination and our soul. They are a renewable energy source, especially when the road gets tough. This holds true for both individuals and groups with a shared dream. A great social leader vividly articulates the dream, thus inspiring herself and others.

Ask Yourself: Do I Have a Dream?

Is your dream at the center of your life? Is your shared dream the focus of your organization?

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