Last year, I had an idea I just had to make happen. The idea was to invent a global day of activation dedicated to helping the world move forward with their dreams, goals and aspirations called the International Day for Dreamers. Today, The International Day for Dreamers has evolved to become a transformational platform dedicated to uniting the world in solidarity around the belief that the dreams we hold in our hearts and minds have the power to transform our lives, and the world. What started as a dream, has blossomed into a growing movement.
Before we continue, let me define what I mean when I say movement. I define a movement as any shift that leaves a large number of individuals and/or institutional structures transformed. Think MLK, Jr. and Civil Rights. Think Gandhi’s Satyagraha (nonviolence) in South Africa and India. Think Feminism, and its subsequent waves. Think Hip-Hop.
As a professional Strategist, specializing in transformation, I have taught many individuals, businesses and communities how to go about creating internal and external movements. Here are a few rules for the road drawn from my experience with The International Day for Dreamers aka DreamDay.
RULE #1: Use the Force…
All great movements start with a motivating force. An impetus. An idea that would not let an individual or group of individuals rest. The kernel of the idea for the International Day for Dreamers came to me while on a business trip when I read a quote: The world needs Dreamers and the world need doers, but above all the world needs dreamers that do. This Sara Ban Breathnach quote was the spark—the force– that set me on the path of exploring what could be done to create an experience that supported people in closing the gap that existed between them and their dreams/ideas. When other countries began expressing a desire to participate in this “day for dreamers,” a movement was born…
Lesson: Be open to the creative inspirational forces you encounter wherever you find them. Use them to guide you then stake a claim in what your movement is here to resolve. REMEMBER: Movements are created when needs are acknowledged and energy gathers around solutions to address those needs.
To read the other Rules, head over to CultureFPhiles.