It was a cold day in the drafty office building, and a group was huddled together, talking about goals and motivation. A manager sat at his desk nearby wearing headphones. The conversation got louder, punctuated by laughter about how childhood dreams of what success looked like weren’t even close, and the bitter humor of reality.
Photo by Ronaldo Oliveira on Unsplash
A voice came from that manager’s desk. His headphones were around his neck, and he said simply, “Don’t let your dreams be dreams.” The headphones went back on, and he kept typing. The room got silent, then everyone laughed, and within the week sheets of paper with that saying were posted all over the office.
Silly, right? “Don’t let your dreams be dreams.” However, the meaning is deep, and it touched a number of people who began to contemplate what that really meant. For me, I contemplated the reasons I may have given up on some of my dreams, and ways I could motivate myself to pursue them.
Say Your Dreams out Loud--
Sometimes, saying your dreams out loud seems like it would be embarrassing, People might think they are stupid or far-fetched. However, that is not usually the reason we don’t share our dreams verbally with others.
The reason is, saying something out loud makes it more real. Putting something out there in the universe verbally, especially to people who actually know you, makes it harder to take them back. Someone might even hold you accountable.
However, this is a good first step in not letting your dreams be dreams. Whatever your goal, if you say it aloud, if you tell other people about it, you will be much more likely to accomplish it.
Share Your Dreams with the World--
Want to show real bravery? Put your dreams out there into the world. This means you must be willing to be vulnerable and endure the opinion of others. Not everyone is going to be supportive, but you will probably find that you get more support than you can imagine.
Once you share your dreams, you will find that others have the same goals you. That not only means your ideas are not crazy, but you are also not alone.
Share with Your Friends and Family--
Sometimes this is the toughest place to share, but in other cases it is not difficult at all. This depends on a couple of different factors about your family and friend group.
Are they practical or dreamers themselves? Sometimes our lives are balanced by being surrounded by people who are not exactly like us and think differently. Those who are more practical might be hesitant to endorse your dreams, and may even think pursuing them is not in your best interest.
Fellow dreamers will understand, and will encourage you to pursue them. They may have already followed their dreams, or may be pursuing them currently. Your action and sharing your dreams may also motivate them to do the same.
Either reaction can be a great motivator. When your dreams become reality, you are going to prove them wrong or you are going to have people close to you to celebrate with.
Share on Social Media--
This may sound crazy, but it can be a great motivator, if for no other reason than that your connections will ask you about your progress and keep you accountable.
Social media is also a way to connect with fellow dreamers, have discussions, and post encouraging thoughts. Using hashtags, posts, and conversations gives you an opportunity to take your dreams globally.
Understand that like telling your friends and family, sharing dreams on social media does come with a certain amount of risk There will be detractors and even trolls who may make fun of your ideas or try to discourage you.
Use this, too, as a motivating factor. Moving forward despite the negative opinions of others will give making your dreams a reality much more viable.
Create a Blog--
Want to share your progress with others? Just journal, but a bit more publically about the journey you are undertaking? A blog may be the perfect way to do that.
Creating a blog is a simple thing to do. You simply select and purchase a domain name, set up your blog by picking a design and adding some photos to make your site look good. Then simply write. What do you write about?
- Your long-term goal
- The short-term goals that will get you there.
- Successes and failures, and what you learned from them.
- General motivational material, things that help you and will probably help others as well.
Make creating posts for this blog a habit. Post regularly, respond to comments others leave, and share these posts on social media and with your family and friends.
Take Action--
It’s not just enough to say your dreams out loud or share them with the world. You are going to have to take action, and do something to accomplish those goals.
If you are addicted to success, if you are going to ensure that your dreams will not just be dreams, you have to get moving. Keep talking about your dreams, and let others keep you accountable so you don’t give up.
Don’t let your dreams be dreams. Make them a part of your story.
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