Doers vs Dreamers

“Dreams are not those which come while we are sleeping, but dreams are those when you don’t sleep before fulfilling them.” This is one of the best remembered quotes of a man who dreamed and whose passion in life was to inspire others to dream, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. It is a noble idea to pursue our dreams. From birth onwards all of us have received inspiration to go after our dreams. All of us have our own dreams and we chase our most cherished dreams, from our mentors, from books or from different media.

Yet only a few of us actually go after our dreams. After college, we usually pass on our dreams and opt for employment. We are reluctant to step out of our comfort zone and want to live the life that brings in easy money for us. Fulfilment of our dreams is not an easy task. Anyone can go after their dreams, but many of them won’t. Many people have only dreams without action and we will call them ‘dreamers.’ The people who take action on their dreams or pursue them will be called ‘doers.’

When we ask a dreamer about his dreams he will portray before you the most inspiring and gorgeous picture of what he envisages. He will talk about every aspect of what he thinks is possible in the future. The doer, on the other hand, will talk less and work a lot. The doer will act instead of talk. He will wake up early, work late, sacrifice his weekends and never retreat when faced with a failure. He knows that every setback will help him get closer to the destination.

If something doesn’t go his way, the dreamer will blame others and then delay. He will look around and come up with lame excuses as to why he can’t continue and why it is someone else’s fault. The ‘doer’, on the other hand, is solution oriented. He is constantly looking to fix problems, come up with new solutions and get creative with the problems he faces. He opts for action, even the smallest kind, instead of letting excuses.

Dreamers will think about fears and let it paralyze them. Doers also face fear, but they are able to move forward with their fears. They believe that the worst won’t happen and overcoming one set of fears will position them to better manage the next set of fears.

Let’s not flood our talk with statements like: “What if I get rejected?” “What if they laugh at me?” and “What if I’m not ready?” Instead, let’s silence our doubts by statements like: “What if they say yes?” “What if they know a friend who can help me?” “What if this is my big break?” Let’s pursue what Dr. Kalam has said, “Dream, dream, dream. Dreams transform into thoughts and thoughts result in action.” Let’s be ‘doers’.