Dreams without goals are just dreams – Denzel Washington

Following my previous post Wanting To Be Visible, A Dreamer’s Dilemma , a friend of mine commented and said how it reminded them of a Denzel Washington video.

In this video Denzel Washington talks about various topics in relation to following your dream, including the importance of discipline. One of the key things that stood out to me was when he said

“Dreams without goals are just dreams”

Now this is not a revolutionary quote. I have heard similar quotes such as “A dream without a deadline is just a wish” or “Goals are dreams with deadlines”. However, hearing it compelled me to reflect and write about it.

If you know me or have been following my blog, you will realise that I am a big advocate for written goals. It is something that I picked up on as a teenager and it has been a staple in my life ever since. There truly is a big difference between saying that you want to do something and actually writing it down, reviewing that goal regularly and taking action. Too many times we talk a hell of a lot without doing anything.

I look at it like this, you get one chance to be the best version of yourself and that is it. Then it is all done. Finito. I feel that a lot of the time we dilly dally through this life half a sleep. We are so used to what is familiar to us that we do not explore if there is anything more out there. Sure, holidays are a space for exploration and we love those, but how often do we truly explore within?

Sometimes I’ll look in the mirror and be like damn I’m really up in this b*!ch and then I think to myself, I have no true certainty on why, but while I am here I’m going to do something with this. I’m going to explore the gifts that I have been blessed with and try and bless others with it as best as I possibly can.

I say all of this because like Denzel said, “Dreams without goals are just dreams”. It’s not enough to have potential, what are you doing each day to realise that potential?

Rome was not built in a day, so don’t be hard on yourself. It’s all about taking those baby steps. At the end of the day, slow progress is better than no progress. But we’ve got to create the goals that guide us. Things will change along the way, but without any aim you may find yourself walking backwards instead of towards those dreams.

We are now firmly planted into mid February. The end of the first quarter is upon us. Please don’t hit snooze, cuddle up and go back into that deep sleep. Wake UP!

Here is the Denzel vid, if you haven’t seen it: