Don’t betray your dreams for the sake of fitting in. Dreaming is one of humanity’s greatest gifts – it champions aspiration, spurs innovation, leads to change, and propels the world forward.
We should all dream, and encourage others to do so too. In a world without dreams there would be no art, no adventure, no moon landing, no female CEOs, and no civil rights. What a half-lived and tragic existence we would have.
Speaking on the importance of dreaming, American entrepreneur, author and humanitarian activist, Dan Pallotta said: “I believe that dreams, taken seriously… are the most sophisticated things known to humanity… A great dream drives innovation – it doesn’t happen the other way around. A great dream drives collaboration – it doesn’t happen the other way around.”
Don’t be self-conscious about dreaming, or about people thinking you’re too idealistic, and not serious enough. Don’t allow your self talk to be judgmental. Look at the world with wide-eyed enthusiasm, believe you are more powerful than the problems that confront you, and dream big.
At Virgin, we know better than most the value of dreaming. Had we not dreamed, we would have never got to where we are today. The odds have been stacked against us along the way, but we have put faith in our hopes and desires. And by not limiting ourselves to what we know or have been told to be true, we have been able to turn one dream into another.
The benefits of dreaming far outweigh the perceived risks, because the value of dreaming isn’t just measured by the outcome, but the inspiration that comes from journey of achieving the dream.
As Dan said: “When we show people that something is possible that they didn’t think was possible it does more than just change things. It changes the way people think about the possibility of things changing. It helps them see that life is not the same day-after day, unsurprising, unending drudgery that so much of life teaches them that it is. And that is a huge contribution to their humanity.”
When have you learned from following your dreams? I’d love to know in the comments below…
Above post by Richard Branson – @richardbranson
