Dreams Come Alive

What a wonderful week last week was. It began in high spirits with a team building training I conducted for a group of 50 young high-flyers from various government ministries and agencies. A full day session to kickstart a two week long developmental course for them, it was a light hearted affair which had them exploring their automatic reactions to the multitude of changes that happen around them; the different ways in which they take in and analyse information; and their comfortable modes of communication. Above all it was a day for them to build professional connections and relationships with their fellow civil servants.

I love running such sessions because it gives me a chance to take a look at my own preferences and self facilitate my learning and awareness while contributing to the growth of other people. I also enjoy it as training such a group of intellectuals and top performers provides me with much thinking stimulation and keeps on my toes. And of course it is always fun to create an environment and atmosphere of fun and laughter, especially for adults.

The week then ended with a heart warming message from an ex student who got in touch with me out of the blue, thanks to Facebook. He said that it was partly because of me that he picked himself out of the depths to go for consultations with tutors, eventually securing an A grade for his Economics.

The thing is that while I remember him, I can hardly recall doing anything specific that may have made such a difference to him. And that got me reflecting on how every single thing that we say or do – a word of affirmation, a listening ear, a pat on the shoulder, an encouraging comment, a smile or a nod of the head – many set in motion a serious of events that results in tremendous impact on somebody’s life.

So as we begin a new week, let’s start being conscious of how we are and what we do with the people around us. You never know the difference you are making to their lives.

Was invited to give a talk last Saturday on my desert adventure. Toiled for quite a while pondering over what the key message was to give the audience. Felt that it was important that not only are they entertained, that there should be an element of education and a lot of value to be gained which they can apply to their daily lives.

Decided on Lessons from the Desert: The SAHARA Way to Making Your Dreams Come Alive, heavily influenced by the myriad of lessons I picked up in the desert. In a nutshell:

Self

Know your strengths, values and beliefs. What is your best self like? You have whatever you need to achieve your goals and you are what you think, so focus your thoughts on those aspects you would like to see more of.

Aspirations

It all starts with having a dream. If you had a magic wand, what would your life be like? What is your vision of who you are and what you have? See it, feel it and believe it. You create your own reality.

Hardiness

Life is an ultra-marathon, not a sprint. As you take action toward your dreams you will likely meet with challenges and obstacles. Learn from your past mistakes and develop your resilience to better bounce back from setbacks.   

Appreciation

You cannot have more without valuing what you already have. When did you last stop to smell the roses? What are the things you have and who are the people in your life that you are grateful for?

Relationships

The quality of our lives depends on the quality of our relationships. Who are your travelling companions in this journey of life? Are you surrounding yourself with positive, supportive people? Whom are you making a difference to everyday?

Adventure

Life is an adventure. When was the last time you did something for the first time? What are you truly passionate about? You’d be surprised how energised you become when you are clear about your purpose in life.

Over several months I had agonised over how best to launch my first ever blog. As was a bad habit of mine, I felt it had to be perfect, clever, witty, original, creative, blah blah blah. As I ran through the myriad of ideas and angles in my head, the hours and days and subsequently, months, flew by and all I had to show was…well, nothing.

Recently a friend and coach impressed upon me the following quote by Da Vinci: “I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough, we must do.” Coming from a man who sketched the design for the first parachute some 500 years ago (by the way, all 85 kilograms of his original contraption was put to the test a few years back and it does fly!), I decided to take the bull by its horns and started putting pen to paper. Or rather, I started tapping on the keyboard. And whatever comes out will be good enough; whatever “good enough” means.

And so now I find myself blogging. There is a certain sense of jubilant celebration, of triumphant achievement, that comes from simply doing it, and putting an end to all that torturous analysing and endless wondering of how it would turn out. After all it is actions that create outcomes, not considerations.

And so it is that there are two key sets of actions to having our dreams come alive. The first is that of a declaration. I find so many people I speak with or coach who have inspiring goals and dreams but refrain from really thinking about them, much less write or talk about them. And the biggest reason is that they have deemed themselves incapable or unrealistic from the outset.

Our identity and belief systems have been built and honed over several years of our existence and strengthened by our daily experiences. And it is these that determine our self talk, our conversations about whether we can or are good enough or whether we should. And so instead of casting our eyes to a future vision of what can be, many scrutinise the past and justify what cannot be. Which is a shame, a downright shame, for many years from now, we will look back in regret at the things we did not do, not the things we did.

So, imagine you have a magic wand…what will your life be like?