The Motivating Power of a Dream

So far in our vision series, we have looked at the importance of a vision and the passion that fuels it. Today, let’s take a closer look at the motivating power of a dream.

Late one night, a man had gone to a party and had too much to drink, so he decided it would be best to walk home. He found a shortcut through a poorly lit cemetery and, in the darkness, stumbled into an open grave. He tried to climb out but the walls were too slippery. Again and again he fell back into the grave. Finally, in exhaustion, he settled in a corner to wait for morning and help to arrive.

A few minutes later, another man in the same condition took the same shortcut through the cemetery and fell victim to the same grave. He, too, tried desperately to climb and claw his way out, and was equally unsuccessful. As he was about to give up in hopeless resignation, he heard a voice from the darkness of the grave: “You may as well give up. You’ll never get out of here.” But he did!

Like in this humorous story, fear can be a motivator. But a clearly-defined dream provides much greater motivation. People with vision are motivated individuals! When you have a dream, the mundane begins to matter. The day-to-day details, chores, and routines of life are suddenly filled with purpose.

Vision gives significance to the otherwise meaningless details of our lives.

In 1997, the city of Winnipeg experienced “The Flood of the Century.” The events of that spring led to over $500 million worth of damage in Manitoba. The result of abundant snowfall and unusually extreme temperatures, it was the worst flood in over 100 years!

Many of us can still remember the images of devastation as the Red River kept rising and forced the evacuation of over 50,000 residents in the community of Grand Forks. The Canadian military was dispatched to help with the crisis. I still remember the news footage of residents, city workers, and soldiers filling bags with dirt and creating sandbag dikes in an attempt to contain the surging river.

I can’t imagine a more meaningless task than filling bags with dirt. There’s nothing glamorous or fulfilling about it. But saving a city is another thing altogether. Building a dike to save lives gives meaning to the chore of filling bags with dirt. It’s the same with vision.

Too many times the routines of life begin to feel like filling bags with dirt. But take those same routines, those same responsibilities, and view them through the lens of your dream and everything looks different. Vision brings your world into focus. Vision brings order to chaos. A clear vision enables you to see everything differently. Your dream will motivate you, even in the most routine of activities.

Are there routines in your life that feel like filling bags of dirt? Think of ways that you could revitalize those activities by tying them into your dreams and goals. Where do they fit in the big picture?

Eric Deschamps – Business Coach, Ottawa