You’ve got goals. But are they powered by your dreams?

A goal is meaningless without a dream

I’ve been a dreamer since I can remember, the child who always wondered, “What if...” and then came up with the possibilities.

At home, I was teased and revered for my imagination and ability to remain in a suspended reality or make-believe state for hours. I wasn’t playing out silly fantasies but building alternate realities of life or a particular challenge I saw in the world using skills like research, critical thinking, and vast creativity.

I’d often write up these new possibilities using my mom’s typewriter (yes, really); they were less colourful in words than in my mind’s eye, but they were still clear.

In school, I learned that dreams were viewed as soft and squishy, while goals were viewed as firm. So, I cloaked my dreams as best as possible in the goals others set for me: writing assignments, theatre, and photography. But I always kept dreaming. 

Asking “What if…?” was a life force for me then and remains in my zone of genius today. But it didn’t necessarily make me popular–not everyone wanted to play my game. (If only my parents had understood then that I’d one day be paid big bucks to help leading thinkers, organizations, and even entire sectors consider ‘what if..?’…maybe they wouldn’t have been so annoyed by my questioning!)

I suspect that many of you also started trading your dreams and childhood superpowers for goals and grades in grade school.

The problem is that too many of us are still focused on goals and grades, although our ‘grades’ have now morphed into pay increases, promotions, holidays, likes, bonuses, fancy cars, handbags and other forms of status and recognition.

But what about your DREAMS? 

“Everybody has a calling. And your real job in life is to figure out as soon as possible what that is, who you were meant to be, and begin to honor that in the best way possible for yourself.” - Oprah Winfrey

Dreams before goals

Every high-achieving client I work with–and I mean everyone–is focused on goals.

People can tell me about their goals in every form: Q1-Q2-Q3-Q4, 30-60-90, and for the year, or maybe the next two years if they’re planners.  But when I ask about their dreams…crickets.

Some think dreams are…well, for dreamers. Others say they’ll think about dreams ‘someday’ once they have enough money, time, or privilege. 

A few feel they should keep their dreams private and hidden in the innermost chambers of their hearts. Others are disconnected from their dreams; they haven’t considered or thought about them in a long time. 

The saddest situation I see is when people have clarity on their dreams and tell me that, at this point in their life, their dreams are too far from the path they’ve already set out on. 

The train of their life has left the station, and it’s just too difficult for them to imagine changing tracks even though they’d love to. (If this is you, please read my article about living with no regrets.) I understand this predicament because I’ve faced those fears and jumped tracks many times.

It’s a good thing I still love asking, “What if...” and imagining and breathing life into new possibilities–that’s play to me!

Life is MUCH better (and simpler) when you have clarity and a deep connection to your dreams.

Really! When you’re aligned with your dreams, your goals flow, your ideas flow, your actions flow, and your energy flows—YOU FLOW! And the world around you flows right in your direction! Doubt, fear, and second-guessing fade away, leaving you confident, even when you’re not quite ready.

My clients are often surprised when we begin with their dreams for themselves, their lives, and their work, careers, or businesses. They say it’s too hard to dream, and they’re impatient–they need answers now! They have goals!

No time to dream? That’s like not having a destination before you set out on your journey–of life!

Those with an open mind work with me to explore and identify a new reality among infinite possibilities unique to them. They connect emotionally to their dreams, so they’re invested at a heart level, not just in their heads. Clients who do the work can see their dreams alive in their minds' eye, just like I could see those possibilities as a child. 

That kind of clarity pays dividends.

When your dreams are clear to you, you understand who you need to become to achieve that dream. The work that follows is, of course, the hardest part. Creating the shifts in you and your life so you can fully align yourself with that incredible future you’ve envisioned.

But dreams are the best guides; once you connect with them, they speak to you, even if only in a whisper, pulling you closer.

When I’m connected to my dreams, I’m unstoppable. I’m on fire! I find the inner strength to grow and change to become who I need to become to fulfil that destiny. And, as most of my friends know, I find a way.

Through dreams, you discover your why, your life force, your reason for being; it’s the meaning you’re looking for! Isn’t it time for you to tap in?

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Perhaps this poem I wrote a little while ago might inspire you to chase your dreams!

Where are your dreams?

The weekend is nearly here; do you know where your dreams are?

Are they packed away from Monday - Friday?

In the care of "I wish I could" and "someday I will…"

Or, perhaps your friend 'busy' has borrowed them for a while.

Maybe, like someone's grandmother's china, your dreams come out for special occasions.

Or, like relatives, they visit on weekends, or you see them on vacation.

What if you take them by the hand? Maybe even grab them?

Bring them along with you each day.

Water them. Feed them. Talk to them. Nurture them. Nurture you.

Until your dreams…until they are your everyday.

Sound scary? Or edgy? Good.

Now, you're out of your comfort zone. Stay there. That's where dreams come to life.

So, this weekend, when your dreams visit. 

Greet them with a smile. Take them by the hand.

Talk to them. Tell them you believe in them even if you don't know how to reach them.

Then, keep them by your side. Every day.

And watch as they begin to show you the way.

Every day.