Whilst I was in England recently, I enjoyed spending some ‘quality time’ with my good friend Elaine… She’s one of those people that you can be away from and when you get together, you just pick up where you left off. I got a bit of a wake up call one day when we were talking about work and stuff… We were talking about doers and dreamers… I realised that she’s a real doer and I’m a bit of a dreamer… I think I’d like to be more of a doer!
‘A visionary can be too visionary, you have to come down to earth sometimes and get stuff done’
I know plenty of both doers and dreamers and I’ve seen both types experience frustrations without taking the time to allow balance. The problems arise when you become a constant doer or a constant dreamer and don’t allow any space for the opposite.
So what’s a ‘doer’? One who gets on and gets things done. One who puts the practical steps in place to make things happen – the things that others try to wash over and pretend they’re not there because they’re too hard, or too boring, or too repetitive. They’re the ones who say what needs to be said and don’t beat around the bush when they do. They’re organised, thorough and go-to people that fix things, arrange things and get things together.
A doer that doesn’t dream can get stuck in problems and might criticise dreamers for not doing anything, or become a martyr by trying to do everything…
And a dreamer? Well they’re the ones that can see the big picture and imagine things that aren’t there yet. They tend to spend longer thinking about something than doing something. They want things to be just right, or not at all. They’re idealistic, highly creative and very often not thinking about things too practically.
A dreamer that doesn’t ‘do’ anything just gets stuck in la-la land – wondering why nothing ever changes! Constantly creating new ideas with no follow through and getting frustrated
Whether you’re a doer or a dreamer – enjoying a bit of both is what keeps us balanced and whole…
If you’re a bit of a dreamer like me… you might be interested to hear a few ways of coming back down to earth and getting more stuff done…
1. Less planning – More action. Part of focussing on the big picture is planning, you need to plan to ensure you have a smooth path and actually arrive at your destination. Of course some people avoid planning altogether, don’t think I could do that… BUT over planning is a problem. Spending too much time in the planning phase usually means you’re trying to avoid getting into the nitty gritty. So put down your pens and pick up your shovel… dig some dirt, make something happen! Take that first step and you’ll see that momentum is on your side.
2. Done is better than good. If you’re waiting for it to be perfect – or right – or ready, you’ll wait forever. It’ s so easy to allow our dreams to sit comfortably waiting… for whatever we think we need to wait for. The facts are that it will never be completely ready, there will always be an element of trial and error, you’ll never know if it’s right until you get it out there and give it a go. So dreamers beware… take daring steps today, they will lead you towards your dreams of tomorrow. And remember… done is better than good.
3. Get grounded. A classic problem of a dreamer… is that they have their head in the clouds. A creative mind is always thinking up new stuff – but if you live too much in your mind, you lose the ability to be grounded and live on this planet earth! You need to literally get grounded. Do some exercise to come back into your body… feel the earth beneath your feet. Qi Gong or yoga is a great way to do this. Or simply sit on the grass and feel solid ground.
4. Don’t wait for the stars. If you’re at all spiritual, as us dreamers are… the tendency is to wait for the signs – until it ‘feels right’ – whatever that means…Waiting for the stars to align. Sitting on an imaginary someday isle that never gets any closer… Jump in and swim to the horizon, you can see clearer from there!
4. Do that one thing. You know when you’ve got all your planning done… or overdone… and there’s that ONE step forward that we KNOW WE NEED TO TAKE… the one thing you need to do to set the wheels in motion on all your carefully crafted plans. Yet still we doubt ourselves. Still we hold back and wait a little longer. Fuss a little more. Play avoidance tactics… Remember, the best laid plans won’t take off by themselves, you’ll need to jump off the cliff at some point and learn to fly!
What do you need to do that you’re not doing? What’s ONE thing you can DO today towards your dreams and goals…