Dreams without work are fantasy;
Work without dreams is drudgery;
But work in pursuit of a dream is ecstasy!
Young children (day) dream naturally. Adults often forget how to dream and don’t even realize that it is very important. Dreams (or meditative thought) create our vision for both the present and the future. They show us how our creative energies can contribute to a better world for ourselves and for everyone else. They transform our attitude towards the most ordinary jobs.
Adults learn to become good at work if they wish to succeed. But somehow, the vital connection between work and dreaming gets lost for many people after childhood. Our dreams degenerate into escapism and mental vacations. Our dreams get crowded out by busy schedules; we cram more and more activities into our weeks, so that our minds become overloaded with just barely coping. Our dreams are replaced by mental diversions like books, movies, TV, games, sports, travel, and intoxicants.
Often our work gets out of our control and we do it merely to survive rather than with enthusiasm. We stop believing that our work matters to ourselves or to others. It just has to be done to get money.
Some people drop out of work and essentially become dreamers, disconnected from everyday working reality. They work only the bare minimum needed to survive. They fantasize about winning the lottery and other improbable dramas not remotely connected to their real lives. They dream empty dreams with little chance of attaining them.
So we may alternate between fantasy and drudgery, but rarely do we find the ecstasy of passionate, creative work. How can we re-establish this vital connection between dreaming and our daily work?
Our first challenge is relearning how to dream while we are awake: this state is something like daydreaming, but more purposeful and more closely connected with who we actually are. This state is like meditation and reflection. It entails mulling over the ultimate questions of our life during times of quiet.
It involves considering all of the possibilities and goals for our life. What work do we really enjoy doing? What do we want to ultimately accomplish and to become? Where do we want to be in 5 or 10 years? How can we become more creative in our actual daily work situation?
Dreaming needs to be cultivated like any important capacity or talent. Learn as much about dreaming as you can. Set time aside in your busy day to pause and reflect. Find outdoor beauty or a tranquil spot in your home or office to just sit and think. Dreams must be unforced; they don’t come quickly, on command.
The difference between dreaming and planning is that dreams reach further out into time and space. It is like the adage of “hitching your wagon to a star” which our ancestors did when they explored new countries to settle. Dreams stretch far beyond our reach, yet they beckon us and inspire us. Plans by contrast are mostly about doing what is immediately achievable.
Our second challenge is to think and dream about the work that we actually do, to see its endless creative potential, both in the present and for the future. I suspect that my career success came mostly because I never thought that I had a boring job. My co-workers often seemed bored when they did jobs like those I had in my early years: as a farm worker, a carpenter, mason, library clerk, gardener, tutor, sales assistant, and as a banker. But I found each of my jobs infinitely fascinating and I always dreamed about where this work might lead me. So I always looked forward to going to work.
Our work ought to be our vital connection with our community and also our creative contribution to the world. Obviously, it helps to find a kind of work which is legitimate and worthwhile. But most kinds of work can be done in such a way that it enriches us.
My good friend Paul, who has run his shoe store for nearly 60 years, puts his heart and soul into selling and repairing shoes. He does it as his contribution to the lives of every customer. He wants to know all about you and will stop his work to talk for a long while. And he repairs your shoes with an expertise and passion that is rarely found. I suspect many of Paul’s daydreams are about his shoe business and about his customers. His radiant smile and joyful disposition clearly demonstrate the ecstasy he finds in his work.
So dreaming is not so much about getting rich quick as it is about enriching all of our relationships through our work. True wisdom considers our work sacred when it is done in the right spirit. A creative attitude can transform our menial tasks into a divine calling.
