January 30, 2013

Dreaming isn’t hard

Dreaming isn’t hard. Pursuing one is. A dream, at least a noble one, invariably involves something new. Realizing it requires redirection. These kinds of dreams, the ones that lift our spirits, seldom fall on our path. Instead, they provoke ...

January 7, 2013

The impossibility of conventional wisdom

Give it up for Adrian Peterson, running back for the Minnesota Vikings. He had an incredible year, finishing the regular season just nine yards short of the single-season rushing record held by Eric Dickerson since 1984. A remarkable feat, ...

November 12, 2012

Three questions to get strategic about your dream

Which is better, being tactical or strategic? That’s a trick question and I hope you didn’t answer it too quickly. Many of us tend to view these as in conflict with each other. Often we may find ourselves so ...

September 24, 2012

Enlisting others in your idea

“They don’t get it. They’re a bunch of idiots.” That was the report from my new client upon her return from a visit with a high-level prospect. I listened, dumbstruck, as she ranted on for several minutes how stupid ...

September 12, 2012

Be an intentional witness to the extraordinary

You’re a witness to the extraordinary and you may not even know it. It’s easy to escape notice because it’s right in front of you; veiled in the ordinary. Each day you encounter friends, family, co-workers and strangers. All ...

September 10, 2012

Use chaos to fuel creativity

When I worked at the supercomputer manufacturer Cray Research we had our share of challenges. During one particularly stressful time, one of my colleagues declared sarcastically: “I eat chaos for breakfast!” I sure hoped he was hungry, because we ...

September 4, 2012

Two questions to inspire others

We all love to be around inspirational people. They’re so…well…inspiring. When beaten down by the challenges of our day, truly inspirational people pick us up and help us feel good about ourselves. You know when you’ve been with one ...

August 8, 2012

How our instant action culture can kill your dream

Most of us dream about doing something and it stays right there: just a dream. We have plenty of reasons for not pursuing it. No time. No money. No energy. Those are the more frequent responses I hear from ...

August 6, 2012

Install firewalls to protect your goals

Do you have a firewall to protect your goals? I recently discovered my need for one. Being self-critical by nature, I find I have a persistent thought that whatever I’ve done, I could have done better. Nowhere does that ...

July 18, 2012

Making regret your ally for action

A friend of mine recently felt trapped. For many years he’s been nursing a dream of a new career that would take him and his wife overseas where they would have impact on people around the world. Recently, that ...

Leary Gates | Venture coach

Turn your vision into venture. Ideas into action.

Tag Archives: dreams