Dream big. I have heard that plenty of times. Should you really? Maybe it's better to keep your dreams small. Smaller dreams could be much more achievable and equally satisfying!
I had a discussion with one of my friends today. We started off talking about failures and how they affect people. I started to mention a few people that have had devastating failures, but still achieved great things afterwards. Sure, the lesson from my examples seemed clear: don't give up on your dreams!
The problem remains that your dream may be "invalid". Maybe you plan on being an astronaut and one day walking on the moon (let's assume that is a big dream), but you are just not fit to do it. It may very well be that in order to become an astronaut you will have to first get a PhD from some Ivy league university, have an amazing thesis and then get a job at NASA before you will be able to go to space. One thing is certain about this scenario.
A big dream like this means years of dedication and, most of all, assumes no complications or failures.
Perhaps it could be better to dream small. A person may have a small dream (in comparison to the astronaut) to buy a motorcycle and tour the country for a few weeks. It is a no-brainer that a small dream is much more achievable. Perhaps it is even more enjoyable. Your bragging rights may be less with a small dream, but you have to decide for yourself if that is important. Small dreams could of course also lead to great things.
The great thing about dreams is that you don't necessarily have to achieve them. Sometimes it is just fun to think wishfully without expecting to your thought to become a reality.
Perhaps the ultimate answer would be to dream big, but divide your big dream into several smaller ones. You will at least have some satisfaction of finishing things even of you don't get to make your big dream a reality.
The great thing about dreams is that you don't necessarily have to achieve them. Sometimes it is just fun to think wishfully without expecting to your thought to become a reality.
Perhaps the ultimate answer would be to dream big, but divide your big dream into several smaller ones. You will at least have some satisfaction of finishing things even of you don't get to make your big dream a reality.
I could go on about this topic, but I think I'll write some more about this in a future post.
Some months ago, I actually began to work through a good book on that topic. It's called "Put Your Dream to the Test" (http://www.amazon.com/Put-Your-Dream-Test-Questions/dp/1400200407). The author John Maxwell is a really big dreamer. He has written more than eighty books and is said to have written more on the topic of leadership than any person in history. He's answer to dreaming big?
ReplyDeleteYour dreams should remain within you strength zone but continually stretch outside of your comfort zone.
Hi Petrus,
DeleteThe concluding remark seems like a good viewpoint. I think one could get very philosophical about dreams/goals/objectives in life. Perhaps it is good to decide early on whether your dream(s) should stay a fantasy or whether you'd like to make them a reality.
Thanks for sharing the book!