We all dream. Without dreams there would be no innovation, no entrepreneurs, no purpose. From our dreams come vision, inspiration and hope. But dreams are not enough. To move from the world of dreams to the reality of success, you need to deliver. Otherwise you just keep dreaming and never get to see your dreams become real.
In dreams begins responsibility. – William Butler Yeats
As entrepreneurs and as innovators we are in the dream business. As leaders, we share our dreams and encourage others to believe in them to. This, as Yeats shared, brings with it responsibility. Daring to share your dreams means committing to do everything in your power to make them happen. It also brings the obligation to be very clear in what is illusion and what is fact. When others depend on your dreams for the basis of theirs, you better be ready to deliver. There is nothing worse that having to explain yourself to a disillusioned dreamer who believed in YOU.
If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse. – Walt Disney
Too often I hear people quote Disney, but they only use the first part of the the quote. It sounds so good to say and hear: “If you can dream it, you can do it.” The reality is that while Disney is arguably one of the most creative innovators of the last century, he was also gifted in the art of delivery. The second half of this famous quote is critically important. Note that he said that it “started with a dream and a mouse.” It did not end there. Disney worked tirelessly to build his business, create a vision, recruit top talent to make things happen, and monitored quality of delivery every step of the way. Disney was not just a dreamer, he was a doer.
Let go of the past and go for the future. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you imagined. – Henry David Thoreau
What you accomplished in the past is the basis for your experience and that’s about it. Whether you are sharing your professional history in a resume or sharing your company strategy in a business plan, the message needs to clearly state what you can and will do. That is what employers are hiring you for, what investors and customers put their money behind, and what employees buy into. Dreams, imagination, and vision may get people excited, but a solid plan and clear direction lead to follow through. Focus on how you will deliver and do it. That is what it takes to “live the life you have imagined.”
The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up. – Paul Valéry
We all dream. Success comes when we wake up, get moving, and deliver.
Thanks for stopping by. Stay tuned….
Joan Koerber-Walker
A note about the quotes you read here.
Each of the quotes you read in this post where selected not just for their message but for their authors. Each is linked to a bio you might want to read. Yeats won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923 and was active in both the arts and the changing times of his native Ireland. Disney turned dreams and imagination into what is today a global entertainment and media empire. Thoreau championed ecology and environmentalism over 150 years ago. Talk about a “green” pioneer. Valéry was a celebrated writer, champion of the arts and advocate for academia and the sciences. At one point in his life, he took a 20 year hiatus from writing. When he ended his ‘great silence’ and woke up, he published a work that has been lauded as one of the greatest French poems of the 20th century.
About the Joan:
An entrepreneur, author, speaker and corporate advisor, Joan Koerber-Walker’s journey has spanned from corporate America to entrepreneurship and non-profits as well as to community leadership and into the halls of Washington D.C. To learn more about how CorePurpose and the CoreAlliance can help you grow your business in 2011, you can contact her by clicking here.
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