Dream Big, Bold Dreams

What invites you to conceive of brave, big, and bold dreams in your life?

Martin Luther King dreamed brave dreams. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: all men are created equal."

Mother Teresa dreamed big dreams. In Ladies Home Journal, April, 1996, she shared her personal dream that, "I was to follow Jesus into the slums.....It was an order.....And when that happens, the only thing to do is say yes." A dream that started with little money and a handful of sisters is now a worldwide organization with over seven thousand nuns and brothers, in more than 100 different countries."

John F. Kennedy dreamed bold dreams. Kennedy stated his dream in May of 1961. "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth." The dream became a reality on July 20, 1969, when Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong took a small step for himself and a giant step for mankind, leaving a dusty trail of footprints on the moon.

What about your bold dreams? What is in the imagination of your heart for your goals?

Do you dream in ways that create more meaning to your life?

Take a moment to consider (and even write down) one of your dream goals.

Now, consider an equation that makes a fabulous difference between the achievement of a goal or its dismal failure:

D + E = R

D = Desire – What kind of real desire supports your dream? On a scale of 1-10, how much do you yearn for what you are dreaming? Can your desire become focused readiness for goal achievement?

In The Power of Focus, the authors (Canfield, Hansen and Hewitt) tell a story of a workshop participant who is a dentist. He told them that he was only in the dental profession because it was his mother’s dream. He went on to say, “I hate it. One day, I drilled through the side of a patient’s mouth and ended up having to pay him $475,000.” What is the cost of pursuing someone else’s dream? What is the value of pursuing your own?

E in the equation stands for effort. Decide on the effort that you are willing to invest to achieve your dream goal. Effort includes time, energy, knowledge, skills, and an active commitment.

R = Results. The secret is that life changing results require both your desire and effort.

*Marilynn Mobley, a gifted public relations strategist, dreamt of an executive position in a premier global organization within thirty miles of her home at a specific salary range with job responsibilities that would blend her strategy skills with her love for technology. She moved from dreaming to taking specific, relevant and focused action on her goal. She treated her executive search as an 8-5 job each day. She gave it her professional energy, focus and used every resource available to her. Within just six months of beginning her search, she was offered her dream position with Edelman, the most prestigious PR firm in the world. In her words, “I couldn’t have written a better job description for myself. This job is perfect for me.” She now is Senior Vice President and Strategic Counsel, having already been given new responsibility in just 18 months that is parallel with her career growth and interests.

What about you? What is the effort that you are willing to invest in your dream goal? When are you willing to get started?

As we close, a powerful quote from Mahatma Gandhi underscores the truth of our equation Desire + Effort = Results. “I claim to be an average man of less than average ability. I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have, if he or she would make the same effort and cultivate the same hope and faith.”

* Interested in learning more about how Marilynn parlays her experience and expertise into her executive position? Visit www.BabyBoomerInsights.com.

By Susan B. Wilson, President, Executive Strategies