As you look back on your life, can you see the stepping stones that have led to you being able to live out your dreams?Can you pinpoint people who gave you the opportunity to chase what you knew you were meant to do? Do you do that for others?
Great leaders know you can’t order people to be motivated, but precious few leaders know what the bedrock of true motivation really is.
If you are a leader and you want to motivate someone, you will probably want to spend enough time with your workers to find out what their dreams are. Dreams are what make people passionate about life and what bring out stellar performance.
Dreams are not goals, ambitions or aspirations. Dreams are much deeper than that. Dreams are what make people truly human. It is what is dearest to our hearts, it is what we want to see come true during our lifetimes. Goals can be stepping-stones to achieving a dream, but they themselves are not dreams. It’s an important distinction for leaders to recognize. What makes your people tick? Do you know? Do you care what keeps them going when times are rough?
People who motivate and inspire others take time to delve into this mysterious part of the human psyche. Dreams are what make people who they are; dreams are part of our identities. Fulfillment in life comes from the feeling that you are finally living your dream.
If workers feel like their leaders want to help them realize their dreams, they will do almost anything for that leader. If you’re just setting goals that help people get their work done, you will miss an opportunity to truly motivate others and help them along the path to what they really want in life. But you can’t demand that people share their dreams with you. Dreams are too intimate and personal to share lightly. It takes a lot of trust for someone to share his or her life’s desire with you.
Keep in mind that dreams give purpose to life and lead to action that otherwise might never be manifested.
Remember to look for the miracles that are all around you.