Annie Lennox sang:

“Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree
I travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody’s looking for something”

Wise words.

Many think that a vision, a goal or a dream is either impossible difficult or a place to get to.

They are wrong.

Think of when you set your satellite navigation system to a place you haven’t been to before. You don’t know how to get there, some places may look familiar or you solely rely on it to get you there.

‘You have arrived at your destination’, it says.

Wow, you made it! 

Here you are. 

The place you want to be.

A dream, vision, or a moonshot are of the same nature. An accomplishment. A shift in your life. A bigger dream that perhaps feels impossible yet extraordinarily exciting.

A goal is a point in time. An achievement. A tick box. That may be part of your dream, vision, or a moonshot, yet it isn’t the ultimate. It’s a stepping stone to the bigger picture.

The problem with goals is that they get confused with ideals, dreams, visions. And most of your goals are likely driven by work, someone or something else.

Here are 3 examples:

1. Train x managers this year so they know how to manage and it ticks the compliance box.
2. Hire x developers in 3 months so we can launch our new service.
3. Buy an office space so I can get of the house.

Practical. Achievable. Possible. Not very exciting.

How about these:

1.

Let’s enable our managers to have the bespoke support they want and need to do a brilliant job – so they can flourish. They’ll get some tools, work closely with their peers, get to know each others strengths. I’d love to be able to understand our people, support them over the next few years, they will empower themselves and love coming to work. They’ll be able to help their teams thrive through courageous conversations and share ideas. I can see a thriving environment. Let’s make it happen.

2.

Our vision is to enhance our team, build strengths, gain more customers, influence our product/service, and build a thriving developer community that shares their knowledge with the world.

3.

My dream is to have a shepherd hut in the garden surrounded by wildlife. A kettle in the corner. A chair by the front door for thinking breaks. A place where I’ll do my best work because it’s separate from the house, doesn’t impose on the family, gives a sense of freedom. And I’ll be commuting to work again!

These are actual examples.

When you have a vision, every decision you take, takes you a step closer.

You don’t need to have all the details.
You don’t need to know how you are going to get there.
It may feel daunting, impossible, yet..
You can feel the emotion and it’s something you really want.
And I suspect you haven’t told anyone about it.

Lean into this question.

Ask yourself – What is my dream?

Focus in on one aspect of your life, such as home, work, career.

Write it down and bring some colour to it. The emotions, the colours. What do you see AND feel?

Remember, information combined with emotion becomes a long-term memory. Your dream will then become a place to come from as opposed to you running towards it.

Would you like help in bringing your dream – your vision – to life?

Start here.

Thanks to Kenny Eliason for the photo via Unsplash.