Tell People What Your Dreams Are
“Tell people what your dreams are.” That was the advice Jim Craig, goalie for 1980 Olympic gold medal “miracle” hockey team, shared with the 2,000 business leaders in attendance at Catalyst University about a month ago.
It was the most cliche motivational wisdom (if you could call it that) I heard that afternoon, but for some reason it stuck with me. I wondered: was it really that easy? All I have to do is share my dreams with people?
I was intrigued and something else I heard at Catalyst University also resonated with me. I don’t remember who said it, but the question was…
What would you do in the next year if you knew you could not fail?
It’s a powerful question. It allows people to share their dreams with others, and it can open up a world of possibilities for those who answer it. This quickly became my favorite question. I started asking my friends and posting the question on Facebook to hear what people said.
As I did this, many people asked for my answer. I said: “write a book.” Then, one day, after hearing this, my friend Praveen challenged me to write a children’s book in a week.
He did this because he understood that answering the question isn’t enough. We must go beyond that and actually pursue our answer…otherwise, what’s the purpose of even answering in the first place?
So I took on Praveen’s challenge. I wrote a children’s book in a week, and I am pretty proud of it (download it at the bottom). I shared it with him and a few others. Most everyone has loved it…the message, the plot line, the writing style, and the characters.
Praveen loves the book so much that he became the biggest advocate for it. He started telling our friends how fantastic it is…then, they all wanted to read it. I’ve probably shared it with at least 20 people now.
Here’s what some of them have said…
I figured people would like it fairly well, but I wasn’t expecting this kind of a response (granted they are my friends).
I soon realized that writing the book was not my actual dream, getting it published is…I want to spread the message beyond my group of friends and touch the lives of people I’ve never met before.
Because I shared this story, I’ve had several offer their help to get it illustrated and published. Can you believe that?! You might see my name on a cover of a book in a library or bookstore! This is what can happen when we share our dreams with others.
So let me ask you: what is your dream? What would you do in the next year if you knew you could not fail?
…and how can I help?
Remember: the next step after responding to the question…is pursuing your answer.
Oh yeah, and I almost forgot to share the book with you. Here it is: The Greatest Races Ever Won
Please let me know what you think!
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