Dare To Dream
Deirdre Davison, SPHR
Stepping outside of one’s comfort zone
is neither easy nor comfortable, but the rewards can be immeasurable. How
often have you allowed yourself to dream of a possibility of something
greater than your current reality? When was the last time that you dared
to dream?
If you ever have the opportunity to watch
a child, do so, and take some mental notes. Children are wonderful mentors
when you allow them to be. Take a child’s artwork as an example. They are
not fettered by lines when they color or paint. They’re not bound by tradition,
because they don’t have any. Instead, children create in a free spirited,
stream of consciousness fashion. Children dream. Every doodle is a new
creation. What looks like a thick crayon line stretching across the page
to an adult is a streaking purple turtle in the eyes and imagination of
a child.
Think about some of the marvelous inventions
that we enjoy today because someone dared to dream the impossible. In 1903,
the people of Dayton, Ohio probably laughed at the Wright brothers. Over
100 years later, we regularly ease into the seats of passenger jets and
fly all over the world.
Chester Carlson isn’t exactly a household
name, but in 1937 he invented what we know today as the Xerox machine.
His dream took eight years to get to market because he couldn’t find anyone
to believe in his dream the way that he did. He was so sure of the power
of his invention however that when he patented it he stated, “I knew I
had a very big tiger by the tail.”
In 1945 Richard James was working on a
naval vessel when he dropped a spring on the floor. At that moment a dream
was born. That dream became one of the most enduring and high selling toys
of all time, the Slinky.
What does each of these examples have in
common? They all represent an individual’s capacity to think in unconventional
ways and to create novel concepts. Unfortunately, all too often on the
road to adulthood, we become programmed to color inside of the lines and
to only think inside of the box.
For example, at work, many of you still
follow an industrial model of organization. That is, you clock in at a
certain time everyday, take breaks when appropriate, eat lunch at a prescribed
time, and go home at the same time everyday. You follow the rules and do
as you are told. While you may recognize ways to improve your organization,
you rarely share that information for fear of being ridiculed or rejected.
In social situations, you have learned
behaviors that have been cultivated over a lifetime of social trial and
error. You are astute and realize that if you “go along with the flow”
and “don’t make waves,” you will keep a comfortable social circle. As a
result, you may have a drink after work with your coworkers even though
you would really prefer to go home to be with your family, or you may smoke
when you’re out with your friends, even though you don’t smoke on a daily
basis.
At home, you embrace traditions and patterns
learned from your parents that have become so engrained in you that you
do them just because “that’s the way that they have always been done.”
You eat at the same restaurant because of the comfort of familiarity, not
necessarily because of the stellar quality of the food or service.
How can you take a child’s ability to color
outside the lines and apply it to your life? A good place to start is to
find a quiet space and just sit. In order to dream, you must be able to
shut out the noise of the day. Some people do this through meditation or
journaling. If you are a highly analytical individual some exercises that
can help put you onto the path of dreaming and creativity include sketching,
painting, or writing poetry.
The points of any of these exercises are
to become more creative. Dreaming of possibilities can open up avenues
for change that improve the productivity of your office. Who knows, you
may even invent a product that changes the world or you may realize your
dream and as a result, create a literary work of art. The possibilities
are endless, but only if you open yourself up to the potential of possibility.
Remember that children not only dream,
they dream big. A child’s future is full of possibilities and all of his
or her options are large and wonderful. You too can have a future that
is full of the potential of possibility if you can tap back into your ability
to dream!
Deirdre Davison, President of Metanoia
Consortium, is a Professional Coach and Consultant and author of the Quickstart
Guide for Self-Employment and The Itty Bitty Vision Book. She can be reached
at 803-802-7773 or ddavison@metanoiaconsortium.com
