When Dreams Become Vision
The Idealist Economist
By Sojourner on 11-29-2007
There is a difference between dreams and vision. There is a further difference between vision and reality. The value of dreams and vision can only be realized by others when the dreams come true and vision becomes reality. In the world of Idealists, dreams are alive in their heads and sometimes it is difficult for them to decipher the difference between the two. To many Idealists, there is also little distinction between dreams and vision. What are the differences between the three concepts? How do we take steps to make dreams into vision and in turn convert vision into reality? Dreams will remain dreams and can only be seen in your minds' eyes, if you do not act upon it. Vision is when you start sharing it with others and inspiring others to share your passion and vision. Vision-casting is very important since that's when you find your allies and when you discern who are your true supporters and who are the dissenters in your life. One friend used the image of "who is sitting in the front row of your arena?" to capture this concept. Who do you invite to sit in the front row of your "show" will determine the steps that you take. Not everyone should sit in the front row.
Ultimately, the key to whether you can make your dream become reality is your ability to execute it, to overcome internal barriers, and to find alliances. Some of the women entrepreneurs call it "forward movements." These "forward movements" may be simple steps such as sharing your dreams and visions with others, connecting with others with similar visions, finding appropriate business partners, and writing down your vision statement. The following quotes are good reminders that realizing your dreams take courage, boldness, and the ability to take risks.
"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality."
-- Warren G. Bennis
"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."
-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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Posted by gemini612 on Dec 6, 2007
I definitely agree Sojourner. About every man-made object we see today started out as an idea or a dream. And there's no doubt it took much effort to bring these dreams into reality. However, after reading your "I have a Dream" blog, I do think we have to be careful when we decide to realize a dream because there maybe serious sacrifices involved. Having the will to make the necessary sacrifices is definitely a must when realizing a dream. |
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Posted by TennisGuru on Dec 7, 2007
One of the things I say to people is to start small with dreams and vision. Sometimes the scale is what discourages people. For example, rather than trying to solve world hunger find a good local outlet and start there. Many big things started as small things. A few years ago I wanted to teach tennis, I found a good local place and have been doing it now for the past 3 years on a part-time basis (the pay is not the reward) This also let me see the reality of my dream, the negative parts are not in our "dreams" This is a good technique to see if we really want to pursue our dreams, be careful of what you wish for! |
I hear you Sojourner! I have many dreams - and I find some of my most pleasant times are sitting on my porch with a glass of wine envisioning a future where these dreams are fulfilled. But, the hardest part is taking that "forward movement". Dreaming about what can be is almost as exciting as actually being there!