The Dream Factory

I like humor. I like silly. I like goofy. I like ridiculousness. I like imagination. I like dreams. I like good stories. And I'm still grown-up enough to... pay my bills, manage a household, raise children, and grow a business - and people tell me that I'm not living in the "real world" ??? 

Living in the real world isn't about living out our nightmares or the nightmares of others. It's about living out our dreams and helping others achieve theirs. 

Happiness, good humor, and vibrant imaginings are the real world - for me. 

Life is funny! Who do we think we are kidding when we tell someone that they don't live in the real world? That's ridiculous and funny!

We talk about being the change we want to see in the world. We talk about following our dreams. So, why do so many of us keep choosing the dreams of other people? What's real about that? 

When you go to work, you're working on someone else's dream. You're helping them make their dream a reality. Every business idea starts with someone's dream, hope, or belief that they can create something and make a difference in the world. 

Work shouldn't be called work. Work should be called, "Help me achieve my dreams and I'll pay you while you come up with your own dreams. " 

"I worked hard at the dream factory today," a husband might say, as he returns "home" from a long day of working on making dreams a reality. 

If Work = Dream Factory. 

Then Home = Dream Reality. 

Our personal lives are a reflection of our own hopes and dreams. The ones we make tangible. The ones we make "real" - but they are "our" dreams and "our" reality. There's nothing more grown-up or "real" than the recognition that our entire life is a reflection of our own thoughts, hopes, and dreams. 

If,  perchance, you don't like your "work" - then apply your hard-earned, well-deserved dream factory skills to making your own dream factory a "reality"! After all, once you see that you can successfully work in one dream factory, you're ready to choose one that is more personal and meaningful. 

In my mind, being brave enough to follow our own dreams is what being a grown-up is all about. 

Maybe the phrase "it's not personal" came from someone who was working in someone else's dream factory. Just because the work you do may not be "personal" to you doesn't mean it isn't personal to someone else. 

Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computer Inc, at the first West Coast Computer Faire, where the Apple II computer was debuted, in Brooks Hall, San Francisco, California, April 1977

Not everyone wants to go out there and create their own dream factory. Some people are content working towards the dreams of others - and that's fine. But remember, labeling someone else's dream as "not being steeped in reality" might have less to do with "reality" and a whole lot more to do with personal disappointment. 

I get up two hours early every morning (dedication) to work toward (skillful application of knowledge) building (goal-minded) my own dream factory (tangible result) - a world where thoughts, hopes, and dreams are explored with a sprinkle of good humor. 

My dream factory has an open mind policy - and I prefer to keep it that way! 

Everyone is welcome to play in my dream factory