Wednesday Words
To Go Where Your VisionPoints, a few inspiration points for you and your business.
I’m sick of following my dreams. I’m just going to ask them where they’re goin’, and hook up with them later.
—Mitch Hedberg
Oh, yeah. I love this idea. Let’s call it “cynical optimism.”
Or maybe it’s just plain practical. Dreams are cool, but sometimes we find ourselves wandering if we follow too closely.
I’ve got to power forward, Dreams. I’ll see you all later on.
Grow and be well,
Kelly Erickson
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23 September 2009, 6:48 am
Nice one, Kelly! Sometimes it does feel better to take a break from all the dreams.
23 September 2009, 9:46 am
Dreaming is nice…
But sometimes there are mortgages to pay, the kids might need braces, and the car needs a new timing-belt.
Sometimes you gotta come down to earth, and deal with those things, before you head up into the clouds again…
23 September 2009, 11:26 am
An interesting alternative perspective – perhaps something in between is optimal?
I think it was easier for people to do this when they “knew” that even if their lives were crap (or merely okay), they’d be “rewarded” in the afterlife.
I’ll have to ask them how that worked out for them when I get there
(If I get there… muahahahaha!)
Dreams that distract from today = bad.
But you need a dream aka a target or else you’ll be rowing in circles forever, in which case, I hope the afterlife is all that they say it is…
23 September 2009, 11:37 am
ROFLOL Where did you get this one?! I love it.
And showing up later in really great shoes…yes.. I’ll have me some of that please..
23 September 2009, 12:23 pm
Wow, you and George seem to be on the same page again. What are chances of two posts on the same day stating a case against dreams?
Here’s mine:
“I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee…”
(One of my favourite lyrics of all time.)
~Graham
23 September 2009, 2:14 pm
Todd,
Thanks. As is often the case, this is one I needed to remind myself of just now. Glad it works for you!
Friar,
What? You think this quotation has merit?
(Am I dreaming?)
Brett,
For me, this one isn’t about abandoning dreams or not having ‘em. For me, it’s more about not getting caught up in them. As you say, dreams that distract from today. And absolutely, the target’s still there. But following a dream, like any other kind of following, can become a crutch.
That’s how I see it, anyway.
Janice,
Ah, where do I get them from… If I told you how large my collection of quotations is, you might be scared. Since I was a young teen, I’ve been collecting great ones (and since computers, combing through my collection has become easier). I love finding other perspectives on issues I’m having, or a client’s having… or reinforcing my own beliefs by finding folks who agree with me.
Whenever I hear a gem (like this one!), into the collection it goes, because someday, I might need to hear it again.
Graham,
George one-upped me with the tuna recipe, though. Show-off.
That song is great, BTW. She was painting with words there… not a flattering picture, but wow, a memorable one! Poor Warren.
Regards,
Kelly
23 September 2009, 2:53 pm
Brett, who knows we could be rowing in circles even with all these dreams.
Todd Smith´s latest blog… Spring Flowers in Autumn
23 September 2009, 3:03 pm
Graham, I’ve always loved that lyric too.
Todd Smith´s latest blog… Spring Flowers in Autumn
23 September 2009, 3:11 pm
Todd,
No doubt.
Of course, I’d rather like to think there’s something else to drink besides lemonade, while I’m drinking my lemonade
23 September 2009, 3:14 pm
I sold my dreams for a couple of kids and a house.
Now I have to go get me some new ones.
Eyeteaguy
Eyeteaguy´s latest blog… Lessons you can learn from F1 – revisited
23 September 2009, 3:27 pm
New kids? I can loan you a couple if you’d like, I have a few extras laying around.
23 September 2009, 3:30 pm
Francis,
May your kids turn out to be beautiful and brainy, and may your house never have termites.
My dream for you.
Until later,
Kelly
23 September 2009, 3:43 pm
@Brett
Laying around? Yours too? Brats never lift a finger, and being three is no excuse.
@Kelly
My kids are beautiful and brainy and I have cats who oddly enought like to eat insects (perhaps I’m not feeding them enough…..or at all?)
My dream was to work a bit, ride a lot. And it was a lovely dream while it lasted and I lived it for quite a few years. But like most dreams you do have to wake up from them.
I think a lot of the folks here are on a path they thought they wanted to be on then looked up one day and saw that while they are where they wanted to be, its not all it was crack up to be. I am firmly in that camp.
So I need to find a new dream/goal/waypoint.
Eyeteaguy
Eyeteaguy´s latest blog… Lessons you can learn from F1 – revisited
23 September 2009, 4:26 pm
@Eyeteaguy,
Word.
(remember when Gus used to say that?)
23 September 2009, 4:30 pm
Sentence.
I do remember that but I thought it was Rob or Dan. My memory is fading along with my dreams apparently, and my ability to spell.
Eyeteaguy´s latest blog… Lessons you can learn from F1 – revisited
23 September 2009, 4:52 pm
They all said it, ’tis true.
Of course, your memory will fade, seeing as the whole shootin’ match is re-written every 6 months or so, there’s bound to be errors.
Not bad for an organic file system, really.
23 September 2009, 5:25 pm
@Brett and Eyeteaguy
I hear a healthy kid goes for $60K nowadays.
(Something to think about, if you want to buy that mid-life-crisis sports car).
Friar´s latest blog… (…………)
23 September 2009, 5:29 pm
Friar,
Nah. They can just borrow your mid-life crisis sportscar.
23 September 2009, 6:48 pm
@Friar – “How do you solve a problem like diarrhea?”
(Yes, all this toilet humour is leaving me a little flush…)
~Graham
23 September 2009, 7:19 pm
@Graham
Just so long as my DREAMS don’t involve diarrhea….
(…just tryin’ to help Kelly out, and get back on-topic!)
Friar´s latest blog… (…………)
23 September 2009, 7:29 pm
@Friar — lol — hey, better in your dreams than in real life, I always say…
~Graham
23 September 2009, 9:17 pm
I go out to a nice dinner, and look what happens.
Eeeek.
23 September 2009, 9:19 pm
Could have been worse. Could have been a crappy dinner.
(oops…)
~Graham
23 September 2009, 10:05 pm
I’m actually quite pleased, at how the low-brow potty humor spilled over from the other post, into this one.
Well done, men. Well done.
Friar´s latest blog… (…………)
24 September 2009, 12:54 am
As I teach in my ebook Someday My Ship Will Come In, it’s fine to have dreams but they have to be grounded in your current situation or they’ll never come true, plus you need to be doing things now or the dreams will stay dreams forever.
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome´s latest blog… What Carries You Through The Tough Times?
24 September 2009, 11:14 am
Way to go Alex, kill the comments section by getting back on topic. Sheesh.
But now that we are back on topic, I think we end up transferring our dreams onto our kids and if we run a copmany, our employees.
If you can get your people (kids, workers) to buy in (believe in) your dreams then you have gone a long way to helping your cause.
Dreams are critical. As are goals, but goals are boring, dreams are like magic as they can turn your current crappy (oops, off topic again) situation into one where you want to be.
Eyepoopguy
Eyeteaguy´s latest blog… Lessons you can learn from F1 – revisited
24 September 2009, 1:41 pm
Way to not only stay on topic, but to plug your book too, Alex!
(Don’t mind me, I’m just crusty, an account of I don’t have anything of my own to plug yet!)
24 September 2009, 2:39 pm
Alex,
Grounded, and in active pursuit.
Well, all right, if you must…
Of course I agree, but I like Hedberg’s contrarian point of view, too.
Francis,
With you all the way on that. Transferring the big picture—goals, dreams, philosophy, etc.—to the entire team is key to getting there in the straightest line possible.
Extra bonus, folks who buy in to the dream become super-loyal. It’s hard to imagine leaving a “philosophy” for just another “job.”
Friar,
When you’ve got something to plug I will be 1st in line to help you promote it. And I know I’ll have to fight for that 1st in line status! So don’t be so crusty.
Until later,
Kelly