The Power of Dreams

... or yume no chikara, as I learnt today (that's Japanese, if you hadn't worked it out).

I've had a rather pleasant work-day today, mostly because it involved not actually being at work! Don't get me wrong- I love my job- but it was fun to do something different and take a few hand-selected cherubs off to Big School and take part in a workshop run by Honda.

After having a go at juggling, we settled down to the nitty-gritty of defining a dream. Answers varied from "what you do when you sleep" to the more inspired "something that you wish for", but for me, very simply, a dream is the thing that makes living more than just existing. A dream is something wispy yet solid, far-away yet achievable; a dream raises us from the hum-drum and lets us soar, our hearts singing with the promise of better days to come.

So far, so poetic. But, too often, real-life wakes us up with the metaphorical equivalent of a blaring alarm clock and the knowledge that you've run out of tea-bags. Real life can get in the way of dreams, and I've made excuses along with the rest.

"I'm too busy."
"I'm too tired."
"It's too hard."
"It doesn't matter."
"It's not realistic."

Just think of the sorry state the world would be in without those who dream, who give up at the first, second, even tenth hurdle. There would be no iPhone, no Facebook, no 3D IMAX. No heart transplants, no man on the moon, no vaccine for smallpox. No Harry Potter, Lord of the Flies or 50 Shades of Grey (although some might consider that a blessing- I remain diplomatic). The world needs dreamers, or life reverts back to just existence, a struggle to feed, mate and die with the least inconvenience possible. A misery of days, and a fate we wouldn't wish for.

Amongst the fun tasks and friendly (ahem) competition, the message I came away with today is that dreams are real; they are something to chase with a passion and plan for. I dreamt of people reading my stories and enjoying them. I chased the dream and it happened. I dreamed of seeing my book in a real bookshop, next to other real books. I made that happen too. I've come to realise that, in small steps, almost anything is achievable if we just believe that it can be.

At the end of the workshop, we were given a homework task: to be prepared to speak about someone who has achieved their goals and is "living their dream". One of my cherubs asked if she could speak about herself. The answer? Of course. And why not? Maybe she is.

Maybe you could too.

Your homework this week: take a step towards chasing your dream. Stop making excuses and start believing, not only that you can do it, but that you owe it to yourself to pursue better days with all the passion you have.

What's your dream? Take the first step and acknowledge it. You can even post it in the comments below, if you like.