I find it so interesting to see where a simple task might take you, no not on a trip but rather on a ‘journey of the mind’.
In need of a calendar for next year to continue working on my schedule I went into a lovely bookstore to buy one. That store was a great choice as they had calendars of all kinds. The calendars that caught my eye were the inspirational ones and the one I selected was titled, FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS WHEREVER THEY LEAD YOU… I just loved that message, the artwork and the sayings and my favorite page was the one with a lovely inspirational message, ALWAYS CREATE YOUR OWN DREAMS AND LIVE YOUR LIFE TO THE FULLEST.
This title really caught my attention, always create your own dreams and live your life to the fullest. After reading that title I began to think , “WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A DREAMER AND A VISIONARY?” This was the point at which my mind journey began.
By definition if you describe someone as a dreamer, you mean that they spend a lot of time thinking about things that they would like to see happen. Sometimes dreamers are called impractical or that they have their heads in a cloud. They’re not thought of as doers.
I believe ‘living in your vision’ rather ‘focusing on your circumstances’ is vital to success but I also know that we have to be the ‘doers of our dreams’. You can’t just think about your dreams, you must create a plan that will lead to your desired end result while holding a clear mental picture of your dream.
So I ask the question…” when does the dream turn into a vision and when does the Dreamer become the Visionary?” Is it when you can clearly see the plan necessary to reach your desired outcome? Maybe they are one and the same, the DREAMER and the VISIONARY, but at different stages like that of a butterfly. First being a dreamer (coming up with an idea) and then becoming a visionary (seeing a plan and taking action on it) seems necessary to take the idea from infancy to maturity.
“Living in your vision is VITAL to your success” ~ Barbara
I call this Visionary Leadership and Larry Hendricks in his blog on being a Visionary states it as follows…… A visionary is someone who sees the possibility of a better future.
(A dreamer is also someone who sees the possibility of a better future but a visionary takes it further.) A visionary is someone who is able to articulate the vision?
A visionary is someone who can inspire others to see the vision.
A visionary is someone who can gather a team together that believes in the vision.A visionary is someone who can elicit actions from others to accomplish the vision. A visionary is someone who sees the vision from the 30,000 feet level. A visionary is someone who realizes that to accomplish the vision, requires people.
A visionary is someone who knows that actions are required to get to the vision.
I think the difference comes down to a word, ACTION. A visionary acts, and a dreamer dreams. A visionary does, and a dreamer does not. A visionary says it can be done. A visionary can’t wait to get up and get started, a dreamer goes back to sleep.
To think, all I set out to do was to buy a new calendar! But what a blessing to have had an opportunity to get clear on the importance of dreaming about the life you want to live. Then taking that dream a step further with the awareness of how great it is to have the capacity to imagine (image our vision) the way we want to live. What we want to DO, BE and HAVE just by allowing ourselves to have a vision of our future.
Which takes me back to the inspirational message on the calendar; ALWAYS CREATE YOUR OWN DREAMS AND LIVE YOUR LIFE TO THE FULLEST……..
Dreams can come true if you take the time to think of what you want in your life.
Get to know yourself. Find out who you are.
Choose your goals carefully and be honest with yourself.
Find what is important to you and what you are good at. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes
Work hard to achieve success. When things are not going right, don’t give up…. Find the courage inside of you to remain strong. Don’t be set in your ways that you can’t grow.
Always act in an ethical way.
Laugh and have a good time.
Form relationships with people you respect.
Treat others as you want to be treated. Always be honest with people. Accept the truth. Speak the truth.
Open yourself up to love. Be appreciative of all you love. Remain close to your family
Help those less fortunate than you. Try to make others lives happy
LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST! DREAMS CAN COME TRUE …. MAY YOUR DREAMS BECOME A REALITY. – Susan P. Schultz
“Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers and thinkers, but most of all, surround yourself with those who see the greatness within you, even when you don’t see it yourself. ”~Edmund Lee
One last question; Are you a Visionary Leader? Remember to live your life by DESIGN not by DEFAULT!
