The Size of Dreams, with a Side of Relief

While I was drinking my coffee this morning, I was browsing through my Feedly feed and landed on an interesting article with a captivating title. “How to Dream Small and Accomplish More”, contributed by Tracy Brower on www.Forbes.com.

Dream small? Aren’t we always told that we should be dreaming BIG?

Growing up, I can distinctly remember multiple times in various grades asking being asked what I wanted to “BE” when I grew up. This was a hard question for two reasons. The first reason was that it constantly changed for me… I wanted to be everything! The second reason was, if I wrote something simple and doesn’t contribute to changing the world as a whole, I was told I wasn’t dreaming big enough.

Case-in-point: I remember writing one assignment that I wanted to be a tattoo artist. I loved drawing, and the thought of tattoos (even at a young age) always attracted me. When I submitted the assignment, I was told that being a tattoo artist wasn’t a “real job” and wouldn’t contribute to the society for the greater good. (First off… who, as a kid, really understands what “contributing to society for the greater good” means??)

What the teacher really wanted to see was me write about being an astronaut, a doctor, or some other “respectable” and “high-impact changing” career. Something that would change society in a large way. (For the record - I have HIGH RESPECT for those careers AND tattoo artists. I believe they all change someone’s world for the better!)

It’s ok to dream small

The thing is, not everyone dreams about solving an international crisis or changing the world on a global scale. Some people, like me, dream about helping people in a more personal, individual way.

For me, my goal is to help the small businesses and entrepreneurs succeed by providing administrative support.

My passion is to a smaller scale, and that’s ok. It may not change the entire world, but I can tell you from conversations with my clients that it has changed THEIR world for the better.

Understanding your impact

The author of the article gives a few ways to help you take actions to valuing yourself if you’re like me and dream smaller than world domination. My favorite point that she drives home, however, is that you should never underestimate your impact.

Even if your impact will only be felt by one or two clients, even if you’ll never be features in a news article or podcast, you matter! You can greatly impact people around you, which can in turn cause those people to spread kindness to others. (The butterfly effect can be a beautiful thing!)

Your impact matters, regardless of the size of your dream.

You shouldn’t forget that, but instead should let that thought motivate you to succeed. Instead of comparing yourself to someone with a bigger dream, remind yourself that your dream is just as important.