Dreaming Small (and not dreaming small)
… Mistakes Women Make in Business
Yes, you read the title correctly: It’s a mistake to dream small, but it’s also a mistake not to dream small. Success requires that we do BOTH at the same time!
This blog post is the 4th in a series of personal reflections about career mistakes women make in business. It’s my last post on this topic for a while. (Next week, I will turn to something different.)
Apophatic Thinking
First, a small digression. I’d like to explain my hesitance to post on the topic, “mistakes women make in business.” Here goes …
When I studied Theology at the University of Notre Dame in 1983, I was attracted to something called, “apophatic theology.” The premise of apophatic theology is humble and simple:
When it comes to the big things about Life, concepts and words fail us. We understand very little. It’s easier to say what we don’t know than what we do know. It’s easier to say what we don’t mean than what we do mean.
Apophatic theology posits that there is very little that we can say definitively (and be correct). The less said, the better. Intellectualizing can take us down a deep and dark hole.
Two “Contradictory” Statements
In some sense, I feel that way about the blog topic, “mistakes women make in business.” It may be too broad of a topic to be helpful for women whose histories, circumstances, and dreams can be (and are) wildly different.
Even if I were to focus on only one person — let’s say, me — I could easily defend both of the following statements, even though they appear to contradict each other:
- It’s a mistake to dream small. Dream big for the future. Start with a vision for tomorrow.
- It’s a mistake not to dream small. Live your dream now. Start with a plan for today.
Both statements are true (in my opinion). They are mutually supportive and complementary. Combined, they are about taking small, practical steps toward a big goal (and readjusting when Life throws a curve-ball).
If I would need to write about both propositions in order not to go down a rabbit hole, why bother writing anything at all? Wouldn’t it be better to say less than to tell only half of the story?
Maybe There’s a Different Way
Maybe it doesn’t matter in the least what proposition or advice we put forward.
MAYBE WHAT MATTERS IS THAT WE TRY — THAT WE DREAM.
What, how, or when might not matter.
Maybe trying is the key to success. Maybe trying is success.
Mistakes Women Make in Business
#4 – Dreaming Small
It’s a mistake to dream small. Dream big for the future. Start with a vision for tomorrow.
When we cannot envision the life that we want to live, we cannot possibly recognize or experience it, even if it was right in front of us.
… and Not Dreaming Small
It’s a mistake not to dream small. Live your dream now. Start with a plan for today.
When we cannot identify and take small (daily) steps toward our big dream, that dream will never materialize.
Wrap-Up
I’m thinking that any woman who would read this blog post, would already know the importance of having a vision (a dream) for her future. And she would already know that she needs to take daily steps toward her dream.
We know this already.
Is the mistake that we sometimes forget to try?
What do you think?
Loving Life as a Woman My Way. -Tweet That!
Get Blog Posts Via E-Mail:
- Point your desktop browser to our website and provide your email address in the form in the upper right.
- No SPAM, no hassles, no charge. Unsubscribe at any time.
Previous Posts in This Series:
