I often find myself rolling my eyes or getting a little sick to my stomach when I see people with bios that say “dreamer”, “I play big”, “I dream big”, or “I help people fulfill their dreams”. Over the years I’ve grown more in favor of people that work hard and consistently ship great work, as opposed to people that just talk big.

My view of the world has become more “practical” the older that I get.

That being said, I find myself “thinking big” again. I think about people like Richard Branson or Elon Musk and say to myself, “well, somebody has to do it”.

The worldview that we’ve been trained to have is one that says we’re to follow the rules, be good at one thing, and find our place in the assembly line. (Don’t think for a minute that a desk job isn’t part of an assembly line as well.)

We hold back from having big dreams because we’re afraid of what people will say, or we’re afraid of looking like an idiot. I think this is true if you aren’t taking practical steps along the way, but I don’t see anything wrong with dreaming big. Then, there’s always this:

“The desire that we have to do something that’s never been done before means that the people who are around you generally will not encourage you to do it…if they were encouraging you to do it, then other people would be doing it already and it wouldn’t be unique.” – Seth Godin

It’s important to know your dreams, but to keep them to yourself for the time being. Instead, know your end dream but build the small things it will take to get there. Eventually, people will start to put things together. After all, Richard Branson started out with a small record store, not a spaceship.

Dreams are Risky

We live in an era when if it’s not risky, it’s not worth doing. If your idea is a safe, plastic idea that already exists, people would already be doing it and it wouldn’t seem like much of a “dream”.

I keep looking to have enough guts to do something that might not work. The phrase “this might not work” is something I try to say on a regular basis after reading the great books and posts from Seth Godin.

Another question I try to ask is, “Who can I impact today and how can I do it in a way that in four years from now, they’ll be glad I did?”. This seems to be a good way to discover a pace that balances getting things done today, with reaching the dream in the end.

People get discouraged and put off chasing after their dreams because they keep waiting for everything to be okay so that they can start. I think if your goal is for everything to be okay, that’s a mistake. It’s never going to be a perfect time to start. Just go.

Combine dreaming big with shipping a small part of it every day, and I think you’ll have a formula for success.

The post The Value in Dreaming Big appeared first on Treehouse Blog.

Registration is now open for classes beginning on September 3, 2013.  Classes are held every Tuesday night for 5 weeks from 6-9:30 pm at bwtech@UMBC South.

This five week workshop prepares participants to take the Law School
Admissions Test (LSAT). Designed to improve performance on the
competitive LSAT, this intensive course focuses on:

1. Test-taking techniques
   
2. Time-saving methods
   
3. Improving logical reasoning
   
4. Practicing with sample tests
   
5. Enhancing reading comprehension
   
6. Reducing test anxiety

Taught by Dr. Anthony Poplawski of Spiegelberg and
Associates, UMBC’s Test Preparation Courses are acclaimed for their
comprehensiveness, revealing the true character of the test, their
focus on maximizing scores, their intellectual seriousness, and
reducing the test candidate’s test anxiety. Instruction is at the
highest professional level by experienced college faculty.

Please visit The Law School Admission Council at www.lsac.org to view information on the LSAT exam.

*You do not have to be a student at UMBC to take this course.

• if you have any questions about this course, or
  
• to be notified when this course and any closely related courses are scheduled for open enrollment.

Our next GRE Test Prep class will begin on Thursday, October 10.  Register online at http://www.umbc.edu/testprep/gre

FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture is an art activist effort to upset the dominant culture of rape and promote a counter-culture of consent.

Through public art actions, FORCE generates media attention to get people talking about important issues. The group is most widely known for their viral panty prank, otherwise known as Pink Loves Consent, where they pretended to be Victoria’s Secret promoting consent themed slogans on undies and thongs. Force has called attention to issues surrounding rape culture by projecting “RAPE IS RAPE” onto the US Capitol Building and for floating a poem written by a rape survivor in the reflecting pool on the national mall.

Brian Harke Ed.D.

Dean of Students, USC School of Cinematic Arts

In the coming weeks, many college freshmen will be beginning their college careers. Freshmen Welcome Weeks will be in full swing as colleges and universities help incoming students make a successful transition from high school to college. But what about you, their parents? What kind of programs are designed to help you make the transition?

Find the full article here! 

College Parents of America

http://www.collegeparents.org 

If there were absolute, no fail secrets to college success that worked for every student, every student would know them and follow them and be successful.  The reality is that there are no sure-fire secrets that work for every student.  Each student is an individual with unique strengths and weaknesses, coming from a unique background and placed in a unique situation.

However, there are some tried and true tips that help most students.  We’d like to offer our three favorite tips.  We hope you’ll pass them on to your college student. 

Check out the full article here! 

5 Benefits of an Empty Nest

You Might Be Gaining More Than You First Realize

By Kelci Lucier, CPH Co-Founder

Goodness gracious, it somehow — and finally — happened: You have an empty nest, that mythical thing people seem to describe in magazines and conversations over coffee. Your heart may be feeling a little empty, too, of course. So how can you look at the bright side and see the positives in your new situation? 

Get the full article here!