Your profitable quote: T.E. Lawrence on vision and action

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible."

— T.E. Lawrence

Dreams Are Not Enough

Gail Collins, in an recent column in the New York Times, wrote: "As a nation we seem to be overstocked on dreams involving fame and fortune, particularly the ones that come untethered to any plans for actual achievement."

I can't stand to watch television anymore. It seems to be wall-to-wall talent contests, whether it be singing, dancing, decorating, cooking, or whatever is the trendy "Idol" of the moment. Even the "pitch" shows such as CBC's "Dragons Den" or ABC's "Shark Tank" reinforce the notion that all you need to do is to stroke a venture capitalist the right way and you're a winner.

Now of course, no one would watch a TV program that shows the true experience of the vision-driven entrepreneur: the exhausting pace of investing twelve, fourteen, eighteen hours a day on the project, moving from energy-sapping disappointment to confidence-destroying setback, living with the constant, corrosive fear of being within seven to ten days of functional insolvency, all while keeping positive, energized and enthusiastic. This kind of reality show doesn't sell candy bars and toilet paper.

Powering your dream from idea to reality takes everything you have to give, and more. You cannot keep anything in reserve, nor hold anything back. Your commitment to action must be absolute and binding. For the result of your dream to be of any value whatsoever, the effort must bankrupt you, physically, emotionally, financially. And if it doesn't, your dream is not big enough. Because it is only when you have burned all the links to your past that you can focus on building the bridge to the future.

That's the true secret to turning your dream into reality: total commitment to massive action, using every last atom of your resources, physical and virtual, so you can reinvent yourself in alignment with the promise of your dream.

As a society, we are addicted to the lottery mentality, the illusion that if we want something bad enough, someone will give it to us, whether it is the bank, the government, an investor or a reality show. The true reality is that no one will hand you what you want, desire or need on a silver platter, and even if they did, the moment you accept it, its value is negated.

To succeed takes discipline and resolve, two elements in woefully short supply in our North American society. You need to be the sole champion of your dream and its primary promoter. The size of the reward is proportional to the effort that you invest.

Dreams are not enough. Dreams plus all-out effort is what it takes.

Honda: The Power Of Dreams (Video)

The story of how Soichiro Honda was inspired to create his first motorcycle. A beautiful and inspiring reminder of how a dream can change the world.

Honda The Power of Dreams from micheledauria on Vimeo.

What action are you taking on your dreams?

On Passion

In taking a major step to turn a dream into reality, there is a lot of resistance that comes up.

Inside are fear, doubts, worries... the "monkey mind" shouting out reasons why not to do this.

Yet inside you feel this all-consuming fire to finally have your ideas manifest in the world for all the world to see.

There is power in declaration. I am amazed at the level of support and goodwill that gets generated when I declare out loud what I'm creating. The declaration is an invitation to join in the dream, either actively by providing the means to make it happen or ideas to spark new learnings, or passively, through goodwill, warm thoughts and best wishes. Both types of support are equally as valid and equally as essential to the success of any step forward.

In the end, it is Passion that makes things happen. An Internal Passion, expressed as an intense, single-minded, stubborn determination. And the Outward Passion, the enthusiastic, shout-it-out-to-the-world joyful abandon.

Internal Passion is what drives you to create despite the obstacles. Internal Passion is your momentum, it propels you forward. It is a Glorious Obsession that consumes every waking thought while honouring who you are and what you stand for. It causes you to wake up in the middle of the night, suddenly clear of mind and spirit, with the solution vividly in front of your eyes.

Outward Passion ignites people around you to support them in your cause...to join you in creating what is most important to you. Outward Passion opens the doors, parts the waters, clears the snowdrifts... it makes way for you to "stride confidently in the direction of your dreams".

Both Passions are essential to make dreams come true. Internal Passion without enthusiasm is confining, frustrating and eventually implodes on itself in the face of overwhelming resistance. Outward Passion without the internal drive is empty, hollow and insincere. Internal Passion is the "yin" while Outward Passion is the "yang": both must be balanced to be healthy and nurturing.

So many dreams go unfulfilled because the dreamer hesitates to give voice to the dream, fearing that in speaking it the energy is dissipated. Wrong! The essential component of making any dream come alive is to attract a community around you that fervently believes in what you are creating, that supports you in manifesting what is most important to you.

Declare what is most important to you. Ignore the shusshers. Live life OUT LOUD!

Then make your dreams happen.

A thought about being visionary

"Dreamers who take action today, even though they risk being rejected as unrealistic or impractical, are those who create the practical reality of tomorrow."
- Coach Davender Gupta