Why Should You Dream Too Big & Harness Your Powerful Imagination?
by Jenny Leigh Hodgins
Why You Should Dream Too Big
Josei Toda, a deeply humanistic man who gave his life to rejuvenating the spirit of Buddhism, encouraged others to dream ‘too big,’ explaining that we only achieve a percentage of our goals in life.
“What we can achieve in a lifetime is always but a fraction of what we would set out to achieve. So if you start out with expectations that are too low, you'll end up not being able to accomplish anything at all.”
I’m learning the importance of expanding my perceived limitations. Honestly, thinking big is new to me. I need more practice with envisioning my goals, dreams and my life’s future. Without analyzing the specifics of how I’ve arrived this way, suffice it to say, I don’t think I’m unique in this struggle.
The fact that there are incredibly successful achievers in this world, standing out above the masses of mediocrity, is proof to me that many people have this same issue of living within the boundaries of lower expectations. Though I’ve embraced Nichiren Buddhism for 32 years, I’m still finding I have much to learn about living more joyfully and successfully.
Buddhism teaches that our lives contain everything necessary for our victory, happiness, success and fulfillment. Looking outside ourselves is not necessary. Believing in our greatest potential is the key to these qualities in our lives. (Cultivating this belief in ourselves also paves the way for believing in the potential of others.)
Theoretically understanding this, and being able to manifest my greatest potential are two different matters, though.
Use The Power of Imagination To Expand Your Vision
I’m immersing myself in a process of learning from others, particularly those who have achieved success at the things I want to do, or who have acquired fortune. I especially value learning from those who have overcome great obstacles. Their stories prove the power of one individual life.
Athletes, artists, and entrepreneurs are my role models, as I value creative thinking. Creative professionals seem to be adept at envisioning an outcome, which becomes the fuel for the targeted actions they take to make their desired result a reality.
My mentor in faith, Daisaku Ikeda, clarifies, “The more specific and detailed the blueprint we have in our hearts, the better. The point is to continue vividly painting the target we have and to advance toward that goal single-mindedly. Then, at each instant, the reality of our lives will gradually approach the painting that is our aspiration.”
Expand Your Dream Too Much
Taking this into account, and reflecting on Josei Toda’s advice to dream ‘too big,’ I encountered a similar thread in Gary Keller’s #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller, The One Thing The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results. Keller points out how expanding our vision dramatically beyond our limitations has a powerful effect on the results.
Instead of thinking about what’s immediately in front of us, Keller advises to “set a goal so far above what you want that you’ll be building a plan that practically guarantees your original goal.”
