“All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.” – T. E. Lawrence
They are everywhere.
You know the ones.
They are the the sappers of positivity. The drainers. The ones that don’t add constructive thoughts to your business dreams, but instead actually steal them and snuff them out – or worse, steal them for themselves.
Unfortunately they are often closer than you think; friends, colleagues – even family members who tell you ‘you can’t’, ‘it won’t work’, ‘it isn’t safe’ – people who encourage you to play it safe because safety is, well, reassuring to them.
But what it means for you? No dreams achieved. Just a nagging feeling of thinking ‘what just happened here?’ and knowing that in the name of love, people have just stamped on your ambition and killed it cold.
I do believe that some of these dream stealers do genuinely want to protect you and really do think they have your best intentions at heart. But what about those jealous or purely negative dream stealers – the ones that quite simply don’t want to see you achieve? What about those who are actively hanging on to revel in your failure?
Dream stealers tend to comment without solicitation and most of the time negatively. They will subtly put doubt in your mind. They will attempt to erode your confidence in yourself – sometimes because they recognise the brilliance of what you have to share with the world and see an opportunity for themselves.
Are these the type of people to include in your ‘Circle of Excellence’?
I think not.
Have the courage to open your eyes – open them wide – and walk away from the dream stealers. And instead dream big.
Become aware of the comments that are being shared around you, and instead of listening, choose to block them out and not engage. Instead, find those people that will not only dream with you but will offer constructive advice, input, thought and insight to ensure you are moving forward in the right direction – in your direction.
How honoured did I feel when I received a personal message from Abigail Disney that said – “keep raising the bar Janine, keep raising the bar and go for it.” The daughter of a dreamer who has kept the dream alive – seeing what I wanted to do and encouraging me.
Remember, it’s YOUR dream.
“Shoot for the moon; even if you miss you’ll land among the stars. So aim high, aim higher than you ever thought you could because if it just wasn’t meant to be, you’ll still shine”.
Now that’s what I am talking about.
