No kittens this month, but as promised, here is a follow-up to the Dream Manager pilot. A few months back I shared my interest in working with a small group on a Dream Manager pilot. In the end I had 5 people join the pilot and we have been meeting every 2-3 weeks to work on creating or expanding our dreams for our lives! We started by providing each team member a copy of the Dream Manager book and in our meetings we are:
· Building a list of 100 dreams (each of us) for our lives – dreaming big, no holds barred!
· Sharing with the group what we dream of, what we want, what we may fear, what can be hard, gaining and giving support
· Working on our Pick 5 (the top 5 dreams we wanted to get started first) list to build “creative tension” that allows us to envision and create steps for bringing those dreams into reality
· Laughing, we are moved to tears, we are inspired.
· Gaining new friends or deepening connections on this journey, both a joy and an honor
· Seeing some dreams realized and we’ve only had 2 meetings so far!
· Turning into Dream Managers since we all know people who could benefit from one, and we now have a process we can share with others
If you want to give it a try, I suggest you read the book, The Dream Manager by Matthew Kelly or drop me an email for some of the process info I have put together. If you already have some dreams on your list and want to learn about setting creative tension towards achieving a dream, read on.
Setting Creative Tension
Start by having one of your dreams clearly in mind. Then, ask yourself (and write this down), what is your true vision for this dream (forget about time, money, etc.)? Dream big and be as detailed and graphic as you can be!. Don’t hold back, just bask in it. What does it feel like, look like, smell like, whatever? Imagine yourself being this, doing this thing, whatever it is. Once you have this fully detailed, read it over once or many times until you feel fully immersed in this vision.
Example: I want to go on my first cruise on a beautiful ship, with my love. I want to visit amazing islands full of white sand beaches, and beautiful clear, blue water. We will snorkel, eat good food, dance, laugh a lot, and get into the island mojo of slowing down and just having a blast. We will create amazing memories of this time together, take photos, and just bask in the joy of the sun and sea.
Now, identify what is the current reality and write it down. Current reality: I have never been on a cruise, I have not booked any time off, I feel busy, I don’t know what it costs, I am not sure if he wants to go on a cruise, the cats have to go to camp, etc.
What would have to occur or be in place to realize the dream? In doing this, simply list the obvious actions and steps. Then, start brainstorming a list of things that would need to occur to realize this dream. For example, I will ask if he is interested in going on a cruise. If no, I will ask myself, do I want to realize this dream on my own? I will research cruises and costs, book PTO, etc.
Next, place the steps to be taken in logical order. What is the first most obvious step?
For me it was: find out if he is interested in a cruise. When should that step be taken by? I set the target for 1 week because I could see no reason to wait in finding out.
Repeat this process of identifying the next most obvious step and the expected completion date for as many of the steps as possible. You may not have them all right away but begin working through them anyway. Identify additional steps and as many target dates for them as you can.
I did this for my cruise dream and so far this is what I have: he is interested in a cruise, I did some research, I scheduled PTO, I booked a 7-day cruise to the eastern Caribbean, we leave on January 14th, the cats go to their usual camp, I am sure there is more to be done but those are the highlights. We are thrilled and excited to be going on this trip and in many ways, just working through the planning has been a blast. If the cruise is even close to that, it will be the realization of a great dream!
I would love to hear about some of your dreams and your experiences with realizing them. Write a comment, or share a story below.
