Dimension #1: The Dreamer

The first of the four dimensions of the Entrepreneurial Personality as described in Michael Gerber's new book, "Awakening the Entrepreneur Within" is The Dreamer.

Every great church, organization or business begins as a Dream. And in the Dream State, they are amazingly fragile. A Dream can be crushed, shattered or broken with just the slightest bit of pessimism or dissent. Here are a few of my own thoughts on The Dream that we Dreamers often dream:

1. Protect your dream. In the early stages of a start up dream, you've got to be very careful who you share your dream with. Inadvertently, most people will crush a dream without even intending to. The reason is, "People like the status quo." And any real dream always threatens or challenges the status quo. This is precisely why most people are not dreamers.

2. Surround yourself with Dream Expanders, not Dream Killers in the early stages. Chances are you have a couple of people in your life that are Dream Expanders. In the early stages of your dream, find those people and paint clear expectations for them. Stay up late "Dreaming" together and expanding the dream. I can remember no small amount of Smarties and Mountain Dew that was consumed in the early stages of many of my dreams.

3. Recognize the difference between Daydreams and Real Dreams. Not every dream we dreamers dream is a dream worth chasing. One of the most mature things a leader can do is learn to recognize the difference between a Daydream and a Real Dream.

4. Real Dreams consume us. When you find a Real Dream, you'll know it, because over an extended period of time, the dream will eventually consume you. It will become the only thing you can think about. It will keep you up at night, and it will spread. Suddenly others around you will start asking you when you're going to do something about your dream. In that moment, you'll know you're probably on to something big.

? Are you a Dreamer? ? Do you have a dream that is consuming you? ? Who are the 2 people you can share your dream with that you trust to expand it and not crush it?

* Share your dream with those people in the next 48 hours.

Tomorrow we'll look at the 2nd Dimension of the Entrepreneurial Personality,

Talk to you then,

Matt