How can we dream bigger? The key is to leave behind any beliefs that something isn’t possible; to put aside the practical and reasonable; put aside the logical and just dream. The very nature of our dreams is to be playful and at times extremely unrealistic. That’s what dreams are. If we are cutting in with thoughts of logic and practicality we are no longer dreaming fully.
So, here’s a little something you can do to dream BIG and uncover some of the things you may want in your life that you might be holding back from chasing due to fears or your beliefs that it might not be possible. Let’s do this!
If you’ve listened to the podcast episode, “Inter|View” you know what I’m going to suggest here. If you haven’t listened, after you read this, go back and listen for a full example of what I’m going to describe here.
I want you to imagine that you are in the future 5 years from now, or maybe way further, and you’re being interviewed about your life. Or maybe instead you can imagine you’re sitting by the fire old in years and your grandkids come up to you and start asking you about your life.
They want to know your secrets. They want to know what you did in your life, or what happened to that project you started 20 years ago (which is the project you’re starting right now). This is just a framework for you to play around with your dreams. You can do something similar in another creative way and if this interview idea doesn’t click for you, I encourage you to think of another way to dream creatively.
Ok, so is that it? Well, yes, but let me give you some tips to really take this further.
Tip # 1
YOUR VIEW-POINT
It is really important that you release any and all ideas of having to know all the details. So, one of the dreams that I came up with is that my podcast becomes on the list of the Top 100 Podcasts. There are thousands of podcasts out there–probably more–and the number is growing. How on earth am I going to reach that status? Maybe I should aim for something more “doable” like 1000 downloads per episode?
Thoughts like these are what stop your dreams from being dreams, and turns them into a dream clouded by fears and doubts. How am I going to get to that Top 100 list? Well, for the sake of dreaming, it doesn’t matter. But if you really can’t move on without a path, then have that be one of the interviewer’s questions and then make a path.
What if my Podcast was heard by the right person who then recommended it to someone else, who then, in turn, recommended it to their good friend, Oprah! Then, Oprah loves it and tells people about it on one of her platforms. BAM! Top 100 Podcast. Practical? I don’t know, you can decide. Possible? Damn straight it is.
At the end of the day, there are a million different ways that dream can happen. The “how?” isn’t so important for the sake of dreaming. So, change your viewpoint to just dreaming without bringing in a need for knowing how it’s all going to work out.
Tip # 2
START WITH NOW
Start off your dreaming by thinking about a certain idea you have right now for a project or business, etc. Or start with a project or business you are currently working on that’s past the idea phase. 5 years from now, or 10 years from now, where could things be? What would be an amazing result? I mean really, out-of-this-world amazing, can’t-touch-this incredible, result. It doesn’t have to be fame or even recognition.
Maybe you love editing film, and you dream that you get to one day work on a James Cameron film, or whatever big name director is your favorite, and you end up winning an Oscar for Best Film Editing!
You won’t necessarily be famous for that, I certainly don’t know any film editors by name, but that’s not your dream or goal. Working on the next Avatar films with James Cameron, though? I’m sure there are a lot of people working on those films who are shaking in their boots with excitement for where their life has brought them. Dream big!
Tip # 3
MORE THAN JUST CAREER
Go deeper into that interview. Don’t just think about your career, but think about your relationships, your family, your health. Try to imagine the interviewer asking you different questions about your life in general. Think about other interviews with successful people. We always want to know about their personal life too, right? What is the morning routine that sets them up for success? Or, what is their secret for parenting? How did they meet their significant other? Answer those questions for yourself now.
What is the morning routine you are using right now that sets you up, or what is the morning routine that you wish you had? Now do the same for the parenting question or whatever questions your mind conjures up. Go into more than just your career and fill in your whole life picture as best as possible. Remember, we’re dreaming, so there are no right and wrong responses.
Tip # 4
DO IT AGAIN
Here’s a cool thing to know. You can have more than one dream! Yea, you don’t have to just pick one right now. Maybe in time, you might want to narrow it down to what you really might want, but at the beginning here, just go crazy. For my podcast episode, I wrote it twice basically, because I had a few different ideas for my dreams.
I had to pick one for the podcast, but I have both different possibilities, and others as well, in my head. I don’t have to settle on one just yet, but eventually, I will as I start deciding what I really want in my heart.
Again, for now, it’s just about having fun and letting your mind wander uninhibited. If you don’t like what your dream looks like when you’re done. You can always do it again.
Alright, are you ready to dream BIG? Again, give my podcast episode, “Inter|View” a listen to get a personal example of me going through this exercise myself. Enjoy, have fun, throw caution to the wind, and let your dreams fly!