In both life and leadership, the picture or dream we have for our lives and enterprise is grand. I’m yet to meet an honest person who says they want little or nothing out of life. If we all dreamt untethered by disillusionment, failure, and life’s other realities, something grand would emerge. In their purest, our dreams are big. The haunting, perhaps even taunting question, is “how to live your big dreams everyday?”
Time
Can you live your big dreams everyday? Yes, and no. Time is one of humanity’s biggest restrictions. While we can’t control time, we can control our activities within it; productivity. When it comes to how you live your big dreams everyday, you have to appreciate the restriction of time on your day. You can’t (always) fit in one day everything you want out of life or the day.
Time is an infinite resource dispensed in a finite framework. We can only do so much at time.
How you manage yourself in the day, is the extent you’ll be able to live out your dream. Because the time infinite resource is given a little at a time, so is the best way to live out your big dreams everyday.
[Tweet “Time only allows you to live out your big dreams everyday a minute at a time”].
Stuff
As if the challenge of time is not enough, other resources come with their constraints.
There are times we’re not going to have everything we want or need to make our dreams happen. The challenge this presents is obvious. You need raw materials to make anything. Not getting what you need (or want, sometimes) can be discouraging. Sometimes it can be enough to cause some to give up on their dreams completely.
Sometimes it is not the lack of resource that gives us grief. It can be understanding resources and bending them to our will and whims is a challenge that can make dreams feel far. Out of reach. There are instances the problem is not a ‘lack of time’ of time or other resources. Sometimes the problem is that we don’t understand what we have and how to use it.
Sometimes we just have a wisdom problem. Wisdom is not only necessary when we’re in lack but also in the midst of plenty.
[Tweet “Wisdom is not only necessary when we’re in lack but also in the midst of plenty”]
Human
You might have time and all the resources, and some, but you’re still human. You and I are still human; flawed and limited. This is discouraging and liberating. We can only do much. Despite our craving for it, perfection is process. It is a road we’re to walk daily.
We could try to fight our human ‘limitationness‘ or make peace with it. It’s an art and science; figuring out what to ‘push’ and where and when to relent. This will affect how you live your big dreams everyday: Where and when should I relent? To agree with your adversity or not?
For leaders, it takes courage to say, for now at least, “we’re beat” or “let’s try _____ instead”.
In light of this, as an individual or organisation, live your big dreams everyday in the tension your humanness. I wish I could help you but this is something I’m also still trying to figure out. I hope that being aware, at least, will help.
The Point
Big dreams are true for both life and leadership. Time and other resources are a factor. They play a part on how you (should) live and lead. You can’t control time; you can only manage yourself in it. As much as you need resources you also need the wisdom to wield them. You’re human; limited and flawed.
All this means the best way to live your big dreams everyday is in small ways. It doesn’t matter how fast you (can) run or leap, but you can only do so one step at a time.
[Tweet “The best way to live your big dreams everyday is in small ways”]
In life and leadership, find small ways to move forward. Find a small expression of your grand dream. What will it be or look like today? Tomorrow? Live your big dreams everyday in small ways.