Your Dreams Lead the Way

Watching Canada win gold in men’s hockey and landing our nation the Olympic record for most gold medals won by any country in winter sports was an unforgettable experience. The national celebration and the pride and the joy we are all experiencing at being Canadian is something to savor.

“Own the Podium” – never liked it. Seemed so un-Canadian, so boastful, so competitive, and yet… how effective. As a brand “Own the Podium” named the dream and captured the aspirations of our athletes and fans.

As we return to life as usual what else can we take from these games? I would suggest the power of dreaming big and naming our dreams.

In coaching we create a space for clients to take time out from the daily routine to rise above and think about what might be possible, what they might want to create, and give name to their dreams.

I am privileged to work with people who have the courage to pursue their dreams. Some of the dreams are simple – like finding the right home for a legal practice, others more ambitious – like the journey from lawyer to corporate CEO.

The most important thing is not the size or scope of the dream but in having the courage to name it and take action and support others in doing the same.

A young woman called me last month to speak about her professional aspirations. She was getting mixed advice from all those close to her, when the bottom line is she knew what she wanted to do and create and simply needed to listen to her own wisdom and ignore the fear of the people around her.

Pessimism isn’t an attribute; it is another word for fear and sometimes comes disguised as common sense. Often when you set a bold goal or determine to make a change it is the people closest to you who will be the least encouraging. Because they love and care for you, they fear for you as well. When I started my own company a large number of well-meaning individuals told me in the challenging first year that I could return to a salaried position. Advice to go backwards was the last thing I needed to hear. It was the people who had confidence in me and assured me I was on the right track that really helped.

Sometimes reaching for an ambitious goal can be uncomfortable. In the space between setting the goal and achieving it there will be challenges, struggles and uncertainty. The more important or significant the goal the more you can expect you will be challenged.

When the stress and tension hit, there can be temptation to return to the status quo – to determine that the pressure isn’t worth it and to abandon the dream. As I once heard Tracy Theemes of Sophia Group advise a young group of lawyers: “stay with the tension.” When job hunting, the temptation can be to take the first job offered. It is so important though not to let your experience of discomfort sway your decision making. Stay with the tension, it tells you that you are undertaking something of great importance.

There is a saying in the arts that success is due to 5% talent and 95% persistence. While I can’t be sure of the breakdown I do know that achieving success in any profession is very much determined by our ability to withstand the discomfort of making changes and reaching for our dreams by climbing over obstacles, weathering the storms, withstanding the pressure and at times just hanging on.

Why is it so important to name our goals? Naming our dreams and goals helps us to strengthen them. When the pressure is on it is easier to succumb when we haven’t fully committed. When we name our goals we also are able to better the harness the power of our mind. Our greatest brain power of our mind lies in the subconscious. By setting a target and focus we are sending a message to our own brain to be on the alert for opportunities and connections. It can often seem like magic when we set a goal and opportunities start to emerge. With a clear focus we can perceive the opportunities that we were missing before.

Another reason for naming and sharing our goals is that it enables others to help us. When we are clear about what we wish to achieve it enables the people around us to throw in their support and to help connect us with opportunities. “Own the Podium” was successful in part because of the enormous amount of support that the program generated for our Canadian athletes.

The lingering gift of these Olympic Games is that by dreaming the big dream and setting a bold objective we can smash the odds and make it there.

Take inspiration from our athletes – uncover and name your dreams.