I had a dream-building day today. It was a snow day, and I did not go out; I am so very done with winter. I gave myself a break from work and worked on my dream instead.
Here’s a confession: I never had dreams about what I wanted to be or do when I grew up. I never could answer that question when curious adults would ask, though I did occasionally make up answers to stop them asking. As I did eventually begin to grow up (though I will not claim to be completely grown up yet), I discovered a sense of vocation, and some goals and ambitions, but never had that “dream” everyone was supposed to have. What did I really want to do, and who did I really want to be? After a particularly tumultuous recent episode in my life, I decided that it was about time to figure that out. After all, I’m closer to retirement than I used to be…
But wow, how does someone who’s never had that kind of dream go about constructing one?
I think a dream of that kind is about the things your mind wanders off toward in spare moments, or just before sleep. It’s about the passion you have between the tasks at your day job. It’s about the possibilities you cook up in your mind and heart. And it’s about stepping beyond the things I usually do, and beyond the things other people expect of me.
So, here’s my simplified blueprint for building a dream that could actually become real:
1) Pay attention. Where does my mind wander? What are the daydreams I have? I started holding those close instead of letting them just fly away when I had work to do.
2) Add some practicality. Can the things I dream actually happen? All things being equal, can I actually do the things I need to do to make this happen? Do I have the skills or the resources-or am I willing to develop them? What do I need to learn, and from whom do I need to learn it? What research do I need to do?
3) Take a risk. Am I willing to make a leap to make this dream happen? What am I willing to give up? How am I willing to think differently, what am I willing to do differently, even outside my comfort zone?
Three things. I’m working on them. I’m building a dream. And sometimes it scares me, and sometimes it exhilarates me--which I think is the point, after all. It wouldn’t be a dream if it didn’t do both. I’ll tell you about it some day...
Here’s a confession: I never had dreams about what I wanted to be or do when I grew up. I never could answer that question when curious adults would ask, though I did occasionally make up answers to stop them asking. As I did eventually begin to grow up (though I will not claim to be completely grown up yet), I discovered a sense of vocation, and some goals and ambitions, but never had that “dream” everyone was supposed to have. What did I really want to do, and who did I really want to be? After a particularly tumultuous recent episode in my life, I decided that it was about time to figure that out. After all, I’m closer to retirement than I used to be…
But wow, how does someone who’s never had that kind of dream go about constructing one?
I think a dream of that kind is about the things your mind wanders off toward in spare moments, or just before sleep. It’s about the passion you have between the tasks at your day job. It’s about the possibilities you cook up in your mind and heart. And it’s about stepping beyond the things I usually do, and beyond the things other people expect of me.
So, here’s my simplified blueprint for building a dream that could actually become real:
1) Pay attention. Where does my mind wander? What are the daydreams I have? I started holding those close instead of letting them just fly away when I had work to do.
2) Add some practicality. Can the things I dream actually happen? All things being equal, can I actually do the things I need to do to make this happen? Do I have the skills or the resources-or am I willing to develop them? What do I need to learn, and from whom do I need to learn it? What research do I need to do?
3) Take a risk. Am I willing to make a leap to make this dream happen? What am I willing to give up? How am I willing to think differently, what am I willing to do differently, even outside my comfort zone?
Three things. I’m working on them. I’m building a dream. And sometimes it scares me, and sometimes it exhilarates me--which I think is the point, after all. It wouldn’t be a dream if it didn’t do both. I’ll tell you about it some day...
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