What Dreams Do You Have?

 Start with writing down your dreams and goals.

Let's start with something wild. I'd like you to write down your dreams and goals, and if you want to include Tom Cruise in them, that's okay with me. I'm not going to be looking over your shoulder, so no one but you is ever going to see these. Write them all down. Then categorize them under one of two headings: fantasy or realistic dreams. Be careful here, they may overlap in real life.

Let's look at the fantasy page first. If Tom Cruise made it to his list, good luck to you! Are your entries all complete fantasy, or do they simply appear somewhat outlandish to you? Dancing with the President of the United States is a goal.  that someone shared with me recently during a workshop. The more we talked about this goal, the more it began to gel for her. She is a registered democrat and has represented her state at the national convention many times. What would it take to get an invitation to an inaugural ball if her candidate were elected? Does she have the extra time and energy to spend campaigning in her state? Would her efforts be rewarded by an invitation to one of the many balls held in Washington? Could she envision herself in a grand, green velvet number with a square neck, wearing her best pearls and earrings? Could she see herself dancing at this ball, possibly even with the President?

It's all possible, and envisioning does help bring it into focus. However the process we used was to take the goal apart, breaking it down into achievable pieces. The brainstorming got her to think and to come up with ideas and new short-term goals she could use to achieve her bigger goal of dancing with the President. I then asked her whether she would think she had failed if she were to get as far as the inaugural ball but not get the opportunity to dance with the President. She grinned and said, "Absolutely not." This was certainly more achievable that Rosie's fantasy about Tom Cruise.