“Most people don’t dream anymore.”
A quote from the book ‘Good leaders ask great questions’ by John C. Maxwell. The author writes about the fact that many people have settled and gave up on the dreams they once had.
My question to you is whether you are still dreaming?
Are there any dreams you have not accomplished in your life that you would like to take on one day?
This week, I will accomplish one of my dreams. Thursday, I’m giving a TED talk at TEDxWassenaar with the theme ‘Finding your voice’. My talk’s title is “Better Starts with Who,” and as soon as it becomes available, I’ll share a link to the recording.
The accomplishment of this dream started three years ago.
While still in my corporate job, I worked with voice professional and speakers’ coach Anneke Brouwer. I met Anneke during my masterclass Learning & Development.
During one of our conversations, we started talking about giving a TED talk. TED had announced an event in Amsterdam, and we thought it was a great idea to be part of it. Long story short, we couldn’t get in. It took quite some effort even to get considered as a speaker.
The conversation didn’t stop there.
If you really want to do something, you don’t give up after the first setback. We started to explore what it would look like if we would organize it ourselves.
Credit where credit is due, Anneke did all the research and applied to organize the event. She put the organizing team together, created the theme, and found the speakers. We agreed that I would be one of them.
‘Finding your voice’ was scheduled to take place on April 16th of this year, World Voice Day. Anneke and her team spent months of preparation, and then Covid-19 happened. The event was postponed—another setback to overcome.
This Thursday, the event will happen. Due to social distancing rules, it will be primarily a virtual event with a limited live audience present in the auditorium. A hard-fought dream will come true for several people.
Every successful business, event, or personal accomplishment starts with a dream. What if…?
Your turn: What dreams do you still have? What stops you from chasing yours? What are you afraid of?
Wish me luck.
Erikjan