Are You Dreaming?

Time and time again we see/meet people on both the internet and in real life talking about what they would want their ideal life to look like in the future. What I try to discern when talking to people about their ideal life is if they are dreaming or setting goals. More often than not I have to came to realize that many people dream but few set goals. There is a chasm between dreaming and goal setting that I would like to bring light to.

The difference between dreaming and setting goals is in measurability. For example if you are talking to someone about their aspirations and there is no timeline or way that they can quantify that they are moving in the direction that they want, I would assume that the person is dreaming. On the other hand if you are speaking to someone and they tell you in x amount of days, weeks, months or years they want to be in y place and also have concrete incremental steps that will help put them in the position they strive for then that person is goal setting.

Example: “I want to work in tech” this statement alone sounds very empty with no actual plan or way to measure if they are moving in the right direction as time passes. “I want to work at Facebook in a sales role within the next 3 years and I am going to get there by getting experience at smaller firms doing sales work”. This person has an ultimate goal in mind with actionable steps that they plan to take and it will be easy for them to measure their success over time. Even if you do not get to a sales role at Facebook this person will more than likely have a clearer path to another big firm because they have already mapped out their plan.

In conclusion, Are you dreaming or are you goal setting? Ask yourself this the next time you think of an aspiration you have for your life.