What I've learnt about dreaming big dreams

This week I had the privilege of addressing graduates of a two-year Orientation and Mobility course run by the South African Guide-dog Association. The theme for the day was "I have a dream" and, since I cover the topic of having a dream quite extensively in my book What Every Blind Person Needs YOU To Know, I was eager to share my thoughts.


The great thing about dreams is that they are completely separate from reality. Whatever struggle you may be going through and no matter how miserable your circumstances, you can always dream of something better.  I believe this gives us a significant degree of freedom. With a good imagination, we can set our course for a better future.

Dreaming begins with a wish

There is a trick to dreaming effectively and that is to picture yourself doing exactly what you want to be doing, say, in about five years time. I suggest using the following exercise to find the spark within. Visualise the perfect you on a perfect day. What are you doing? Where are you? What are you wearing? Who are you with? How do you feel? Why are you feeling that way? With each answer the picture in your mind becomes a little clearer. Now, take a mental snapshot of that picture and save it to your mental photo library. The last part of this exercise is to label the snapshot  with something memorable like "Adventurous me" or "Me on the doorstep of my new home", or whatever describes the far-off dream you wish for.

Dreaming involves other people

If you are dreaming of change, you need to know that  your family, friends and colleagues won't automatically change with you. It is up to you to help them adjust their expectations as time goes by. Self-development is essential, of course, and you will probably need to learn new skills. In addition though, you will need to work on how you come across to others. Be sure to present yourself as someone who adds value. As Dr Phil taught me, you teach people how to treat you, so teach them to treat you with respect.

Dreaming is common to everyone

At the same time as you are thinking about your own dream, recognise that those around you are probably thinking about theirs. To the graduates, I made the specific point that society tends to think blind people don't have big dreams because their lives are limited by disability, yet they are no different from anybody else. Everyone you meet, from the CEO to the street sweeper, and from the world-class athlete to the hospital patient in ICU, wants something  different and better. If you act as if you are the only one on a mission to realise your dream you will crush the spirits of those who could, through some marvellous serendipity, open the door to where you want to be.

Not all dreams will make sense to you and this is okay. Perhaps your neighbour yearns to retreat to a little plot in the country and grow cabbages, or build musical instruments out of recycled metal, or adopt a child, or come up with an alternative to string theory. Whether or not you see the point of what they want, do for them what you would want them to do for you and let them dream their dreams.

Dreaming requires focused attention

In pursuing your dream, guard against being distracted. Be careful of running after other peoples' dreams because they look exciting or stopping to tear down dreams that strike you as immoral. Doing such things only ends up wasting your energy and time. It is far better to stay focused on your goal and work on making a little progress each day.

Personally, I enjoy planning, so I make planning a big part of my strategy. However, in-depth research and list-making need not feature strongly in your approach. The important thing is to incorporate actions which bring you closer to appearing the way you do in that mental snapshot you filed away. Suppose you dream of owning a luxury vehicle;  you might visit a motor showroom to experience that vehicle firsthand. Suppose you want to  open an Etsy store; you might browse craft markets for ideas of what to sell. Dreams  cannot stay in the realm of the imagination. They must be translated into actions, however small.

Dreaming big dreams is natural

Finally, be assured that turning dreams into reality is something we are designed for. This takes the pressure off you to do anything that is beyond your capability. As I said to the graduates, you already have the desire to feel a certain way, plus the will to commit to the process. From here on, it is about letting your heart continue to motivate you and letting your mind continue to work out the best way to get things done. If you keep these two in balance and stay on track, you will transform your present circumstances into a life you scarcely recognise.