When Is a Dream Too Big?
What an interesting question. And one I had never considered until recently.
I was on the phone doing a prep call with a client for an upcoming keynote. We were discussing specific content and essential takeaways that would support their theme and objectives. Everything was good.
Until it got uncomfortable.
It started when I mentioned an insight that I often share about creativity and innovation called "decorate the box." It's a story about how we, as kids, couldn't wait for someone in the neighborhood to buy a washer or a dryer.
Why?
We wanted the box. Because it could become anything but a box and everything we could imagine it to be.
A spaceship.
A race car.
A time-machine.
Armed with our imagination, creativity, and the boundless enthusiasm of a child, we would zoom around the track or venture to the heavens and back in a single afternoon and still be home for dinner.
A powerful metaphor and example of what is possible when we dream and imagine, and take action. Especially when no one is there to smash our dreams by telling us what we can't do. Sadly, most adults outgrow the ability to see the invisible, and as grownups, we begin to conform. We see the box as just a box, and we get sidetracked with what's probable instead of what's possible. We begin to see things as they are instead of as they can be.
Then I posed a question to my client–
"How many hours do you suppose Jeff Bezos and his brother Mark spent playing in a silly cardboard box?"
Crickets.
Finally, one of the folks on the call broke the silence. "Um, Mr. Brown, we'd rather you don't mention Jeff Bezos or Amazon."
"Really? Why?"
"Our members are independent, small operators and Amazon has put a lot of small businesses out of business."
More crickets. Mine this time.
I was stunned. I speak for a living and didn't know what to say. So, I did what I always do when I don't know what to say. I asked a question.
"When is a dream too big?"
Their CEO chimed in, "I'm sorry, but I don't follow."
"Let's take your members. You provide marketing and business support to help them grow. Is there a limit on how much they can grow? Is there a point at which you stop providing support because they are big enough?"
"Of course not. We want them to be successful and achieve their goals."
"But what if they become so successful that they put their competition out of business?"
"Well…"
Exactly.
The ecosystem of business is built around competition. But competition doesn't begin in the marketplace. It begins in the mind, the size of a dream. It starts with a vision.
Jeff Bezos started Amazon in his garage. He was, in fact, a small business owner competing against the big booksellers of the day—a small fish in a big pond. I guarantee you he was not even on the radar of the competition.
But he had a gigantic dream.
It is estimated that Amazon is valued at a trillion dollars.
Not bad for a small business that grew up in a garage.
That's a lot of prime memberships. That's a lot of people doing business with Amazon. That's also a lot of small businesses that operate on Amazon's platform, reaching customers around the globe.
They are no longer limited by the boundaries of a zipcode or a strip mall. One report noted that Amazon has helped close to two million small businesses get started or expand their operations.
Now, with that said, I'm not advocating for the company. I am advocating for big dreams and the courage to chase them.
The whole point of my box story is that we could dream and wish and hope for anything as kids. And we believed that we could make it happen. Jeff Bezos and his brother went to SPACE, and I bet it began in a tattered and worn-out cardboard box in the backyard.
The ability to dream is not only a gift, but I believe it's a responsibility.
I believe we are called to do something that impacts the world, to serve as many people as possible with our talents and abilities. Maybe even to be willing to chase the moon and stars.
This is available to anyone willing to imagine what could be and dares to get up every day and make that dream come true.
Ordinary would say that it can't be done.
Extraordinary says hide and watch.
And yet.
We villainize, diminish, and discount the accomplishment of the dreamers who make things happen. We don't like their politics, lifestyle, opinions, or whatever else rubs us the wrong way.
Let me repeat myself:
HE WENT TO SPACE!
Can't we just celebrate that?
I heard someone the other day criticize Sir Richard Branson for his journey beyond the sky. The comment from this person was, "Well, he didn't do it in a rocket ship. He went in a spaceplane."
What!?
HE WENT TO SPACE!
And, he proved there is more than one way to get there.
There is always more than one way.
Success in life is defined differently for everyone. Regardless of how we define it, we should cheer for each other when we win, lift one another when we fall, and be grateful that we have the opportunity to be more today than we were yesterday.
I want to encourage you to get back in the box and begin to dream again. Think about what you could do if you truly unleash your creativity, your drive, and your passion into your work. Imagine what would happen if your vision was the size of your capacity.
Most people stunt their potential by keeping their dreams the size of what they believe they are capable of today. They feel like they need to know all the steps in order to take the next one.
I am living proof that it is possible to do more than you ever thought possible when you are willing to suspend your perceived limitations and see what is possible through the lens of optimism.
There is no staying the same. You are either moving forward or sliding backward. I hope you choose to move forward. Don't deprive us of your genius by playing small. We need the very thing that you were put here to do.
Give your dreams a chance to live. Decorate the box. It might just change the world.
I will leave you with one final question.
When is a dream too small?
Stay extraordinary, my friends!
This article is part of a series called The Hero Effect® At Work: A monthly newsletter to guide organizations in creating a culture of heroes at every level in their workplace.
My new book, Unleashing Your Hero (HarperCollins Leadership, October 2021), offers a guide to this future, inspired by The Hero Effect®, to help readers to get back in the box, dare to dream big, and become the Hero the world needs.
Head to pre-order before October 19th, and receive exclusive access to:
3 Superpowers That Make Good Leaders Great Video
50 Power Quotes to Make Every Day Extraordinary PDF
UNLEASHED Journal* (*first 500 orders only).
Copyright © 2021 Kevin Brown. All rights reserved.