I have a lot of great opportunities, but one of the ones I’m privileged to be a part of is TEDx, for which I am the speaker coach.
TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment, and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics— from science to business to global issues—in more than 100 languages.
For several years, every Sunday, it was my practice to choose and watch five TED Talks on subjects I knew little to nothing about. It was a great, free way for me to educate myself on topics I had never even thought about, all in the comfort of my living room.
Recently, we hosted TEDx in my hometown, and I served as the speaker coach for the presenters. I had such a grand time with these amazing folks.
We had a presenter who is an artist, but she uses more than a brush or paint; she engages people in her art, and her TED talk was titled ‘Dreams Are Free.’
In her presentation, Dreams are Free, she collects dreams from people in exchange for a lottery ticket. For every ticket she distributes, she asks the recipient to write down their desires for what they would do if they won. On each occasion, she purchases 50 tickets and gives them to people she meets in public places such as city streets, restaurants, convenience stores, transportation centers, festivals, parks, and laundromats. She says on her website that she understands that the lottery is a complex social issue, but she is using these tickets to encourage people to dream bigger than they would if she were to give away dollar bills.
What I love about her site is that she posts actual handwritten dreams from those who have taken her up on her offer of a free dream. Let me share just a few with you.
One person wrote they would finally get the dental care they needed. Many offered to take care of their parents’ home or buy them a new stove, some would start a nonprofit, and most would travel to open a business or a music studio. Most would pay off student loans, family debt, and debts of friends; some would save for their future.
Many would give to charities like Diabetes Heart Health, open free healthcare clinics for the uninsured, or donate money to research. Some offered to adopt children so they could have a home. Some simply wrote to help the poor.
And then there were those who dreamed big – buy an island, go to Jamaica, hire a polka band, and one wanted to build a roller coaster between their favorite coffee shop, house, and their favorite bar.
Yes, dreams are free, and I love her idea.
I wonder, what is your dream? I know that life gets in the way, and many of us put our dreams on hold until we have more money, the kids are grown, and the job is finished. But if you had the chance to take a few minutes and dream, what would you hope for? What would you like to do? Where would you like to go?
I like to be hopeful in my thinking, and to do that, I often have to get out of my own way. I have to let my imagination flow, then step back a minute and just go with it as I dream or daydream, in my case.
I have been blessed to have dreams come true. I’ve had a travel bucket list for as long as I can remember, and in the past few years, a few of those “dream-about-places-I ‘d-like-to-go” have come true.
I have always wanted to visit Russia, and I was fortunate enough to stand and behold St. Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square. It was a lifelong dream to walk into the church and admire the handiwork of years ago. Then, while in Istanbul, my favorite city in the world, I had the good fortune to visit the Hagia Sophia. I had read a book called Jewels, and the author had a ring that had been handed down for generations. It was made from a few stones from the mosaic depicting angels with billowing robes. It seems some great-uncle had swiped some stones that he shouldn’t have, but now she is the owner of the ring that set the story in place. When I was there, I discovered that, in fact, some stones were missing from the angel’s robes. Exciting stuff, along with the opportunity to visit the Spice Market, which I had dreamed of all my life. You could smell the spices before you arrived at the market, and although it was a lot smaller than I expected, it was still exciting to be there, simply a dream come true. I’ve visited the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and the Western Wall, and I recently returned to the hospital where I was born in Beirut, Lebanon. Dreams do come true in one way or another.
I am living proof that dreams do come true, not just for travel, but for opportunities, and I believe the same can be true for you. And what I think is the greatest gift of all is that if you put your mind to something – somehow, things just seem to fall into place. But I found that the key is simply to dream and then put feet to those dreams, setting about to make something happen.
I love the thought that dreams are free anytime, anywhere, anyhow. You can stop and breathe, letting your mind break free from the current issues at hand, and set forth a path.
If I were able to offer you a ticket to dream today without thinking too hard about it, what would you dream about? Dream to do? Dream to be, have, or become? Kind of fun to think about on this spring day – the freedom to wish out loud and perhaps put plans in place, or at least prayers in place, to make something happen.
I know this is a lighter thought than my usual conversations. I listened to my TEDx speaker talk about her project and the effect it has on those who, for just a minute, stop and simply dream. I find it life-changing. Because as I go through my days with clients who are working towards a goal or are digging out from issues that have been weighing them down, in a sense, we dream together of getting through. We dream together of what it will be like on the other side of the issue. In that way, I see real dreams come true, and lives change.
There is a wealth of information available about dreams and how they can help many people achieve things in life, both great and small. There is a wealth of medical science that proves that daydreaming or dreaming is beneficial for the mind and body, as it allows you some space to simply be.
If I were to offer you the chance to scratch off a million-dollar ticket, what would you do with the money? If only for an instance, what is the first thing that comes to mind? What you answer says a lot about you in a good way; it shows that you’re open to thinking on the bright side (if only for a minute) and allows you some space to breathe, think, hope, and pray.
And please note, although I do not advocate gambling. I advocate for you the option to dream… because dreams are free, and for many, they do come true.
