Most people spend more time planning their annual vacations than they spend planning their lives. You begin your Dream Initiative by setting aside 3 hours to meet with your staff/team members to put their dreams in writing.
At your Dream Session, you will seek to accomplish 2 goals:
#1: Clearly define your dreams; and
#2: Develop a plan to pursue them.
The participation of your team in the Dream Initiative should be completely optional. The Dream Initiative is a personal enrichment program that you offer your team members, but you should not be offended if they do not participate.
Step #1: Writing Your Dream List (a/k/a Your Dream Book)
Begin by writing down your dreams—there are no limitations, just write. Come up with a list of 100 dreams and put a date next to the date that you wrote each dream. Your list does not have to be perfect or complete. Dream and write from a stream of consciousness, as if anything were possible.
“Once we stop dreaming, we start to lead lives of quiet desperation.”
Matthew Kelly, The Dream Manager
The dreams are not limited to professional—they should cover everything from the places you want to visit, qualities you want to develop in your character, adventures you’d like to take, and the legacy you’d like to create. Below is a list of dream categories with examples:
- Professional (get a raise or promotion),
- Financial (pay off credit card debt),
- Creative (write a book or learn to play guitar),
- Legacy (donate to favorite charity),
- Adventure (visit Israel),
- Character (do what I say I will do),
- Spiritual (study the Bible),
- Material (own a beach house),
- Emotional (listen more to spouse),
- Physical (run a marathon),
- Intellectual (learn another language), and
- Psychological (strengthen my willpower)
Buy journals for your team members and let them take time off from work and begin writing the dreams in their Dream Journal.
Step #2: Creating a Personal Strategic Plan
Identify a time frame for each dream
Short-Term Dreams: Within the next 12 months,
Moderate-Term Dreams: 1 to 5 years,
Long-Term Dreams: 5 years or more
Then you will develop a plan for each dream. At least once a week, flip through the pages of your Dream Book.
“Just talking about our dreams starts to move us in the direction of them.”
Matthew Kelly, The Dream Manager
The hope that we will achieve our dreams comes from having a plan.
Step #3: Managing Your Dreams
We all need someone to hold us accountable. Everyone can dream, but it is accountability that we struggle with.
“Most people don’t fail because they want to fail; they fail because they don’t know how to succeed.”
Matthew Kelly, The Dream Manager
Hire a Dream Manager (a/k/a Life Coach) and offer monthly ½ hour dream management sessions. The Dream Manager’s role will be to help you articulate your dreams and hold you accountable to a plan.
Step #4: Celebrating Your Progress!
Share your personal and professional dreams and begin crossing off your dreams once you achieve them. When you achieve one of your dreams—big or small—let everyone know and stick a yellow sticky note about your dream on the wall of our conference room.
photo credit: Orison Swett Marden All men who have achieved great things have been great dreamers via photopin (license)
