Sweet dreams

Wake up — I’m not talking about dreams during slumber. What do you dream of for your life? For your business? Consider making a list of those dreams, whether they’re vivid and sensational or ordinary and small.

Laura Vanderkam, author of “168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think,” suggests writing down your 100 dreams in life. She says the list will help you better manage what’s important to you. If 100 is too daunting, start with 50 or 25.

For some, it takes years to come up with 100 dreams. Depending on the season of our life, those dreams may change, so it’s fine to add to the list year after year. Now that we’re past the halfway mark of 2023, I’m going to spend the rest of the summer thinking about my dream list. Two things that immediately came to mind: learn Spanish and learn how to play the harmonica. Those are pretty tame. Some loftier dreams include touring the Louvre and visiting all the U.S. national parks.

Sherene McHenry, a personnel and business consultant, is also a proponent of a dreams list. She says to ask yourself if you’ve forgotten to dream. If so, that’s likely causing you to squelch the dreams of those around you.

Dare to dream. Encourage your family to join you. If it’s comfortable for everyone, share some of those dreams. Revisit your list and see what’s happened so far. Then, like Vanderkam suggests, see if you’re using your time wisely to make these dreams a reality.

This list isn’t reserved for personal dreams. It works in business, too. McHenry suggests creating a top 25 list for your business and/or department. Then, ask your employees to create a top 10 list for the business, their department and/or their job.

“Depending on the size and structure of your organization, combine appropriate employee groupings and work together to determine your priorities for the business and/or department,” she says. “You’ll be amazed at the creativity, energy and teamwork that result. You’ll also know where to focus your energy, time and other resources required to turn a dream into a reality.”

If you’re willing, share some of your personal and professional dreams with me. In the words of Steven Tyler, dream on!