I have kept seeing this phrase in recent weeks and it’s easy to dismiss because it is so commonly used. Today I decided to look at it as if for the first time and realised just how true it is.

It takes courage to dream – because dreaming demands us to be open and tap into our vulnerability. Dreaming asks us – If you could wave a magic wand, what would you most love to achieve?

To answer this question, we need to know ourselves – what drives us and will inspire us in the future?

Many of us aren’t brave enough to ask ourselves this question in case it means we might need to come out of our comfort zone or we might have to change ourselves or even deal with the possibility of failure or disappointment.

Perhaps that’s why we find it easier to dream as children – we are more naive about the possible implications of our dreams and of course we still believe in magic. Some of our best dreams about our future lives were when we were children – ask yourself – what dream did you have as a child that you have forgotten about now?

I dreamt every day of being a ballerina. At the age of 16, I had to decide whether to leave home and really pursue it or let it go. There are lots of things and people that contribute to our decisions about letting our dreams go – I think mine was a deeper understanding that I wasn’t good enough to make it – this may have been true but did I decide this too early and with missing information? I don’t think I was ever brave enough to share this dream fully so it was easy to let it go. I wonder if flying school had existed then whether I would have had an opportunity to challenge my thinking?

Dare to Dream means taking the first step in our imagination and challenging our assumptions like the ones above. The first step in dreaming is to do this on your own and then be brave enough to share your dreams with others.

By not closing down the dreams of others, and just letting them be aired, we make it possible for them to dare to dream and we give them permission to keep exploring and make their own decisions.

A few years ago after sharing my dream with others, I started ballet lessons and I found again that spark and joy thanks to the Northern Ballet adult classes!

If you are going to do 1 thing differently next year, why not dare to dream, share your dream with others and be the person that helps others dare too!

 “The future has yet to be decided and it can be what you make it”

Dare to Dream is one of the 6 SUMO principles for more info see www.sumo4schools.com.