American futurist [1] Alvin Toffler, the author of Revolutionary Wealth, said, "we need a multiplicity of visions, dreams, and prophecies—images of potential tomorrows, depicting the charm of youth as trying even at faint certainty, failing, and trying again and shaping the future.”

While the mere act of having a dream for yourself isn’t necessarily enough, it’s a wonderful place to begin. Having goals and aspirations doesn’t alone guarantee a sense of happiness, but it certainly guarantees that there will be something to work towards. Studies show that having a goal, and being motivated to achieve said goal offers emotional and mental well-being. 

Having clear aspirations doesn’t only help your mental health, however. It’s likely that it also benefits your relationships. Having a clear sense of where you see yourself in ten days (and by extension, in ten years) helps to create a clear and open dialogue when you make new acquaintances, friends, and lovers. 

What does having a dream mean to you? For James Sampson, a 34-year-old architect living in New York City, a dream is motivation to wake up and go to work every single day. “The first thing I do upon waking is to ask myself: ‘what am I doing today? Who am I doing it for?’ My earlier pieces were for my mother, my father. My current work, though, I haven’t quite figured out. It reminds me of me, though. It makes me think of myself.” 

Lane Sewal, an information technology specialist in her late 40s looks at the value of dreams a little differently. “When I was young, I had always thought there would be like, this perfect job, just for me. Something where I could just work and be happy and be excited and be fulfilled. After bouncing [2] from one job to another, I gradually started to realize that I could probably be fulfilled at any one of these workplaces, given the right perspective. My goal has always been happiness. And I think I finally found it, not in my work, but in my partner, with whom I can finally share this piece of my heart.” 

It’s easy to think about goals and aspirations in a very objective light, but your dream doesn’t have to be specific. It doesn’t even have to be explainable or articulable. As long as you can see it-- that’s what counts. As Helen Keller once said, "the only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision [3]."

It is said that 87% of people in the world are living without a dream. Which group do you belong to, those who have a dream or those who do not?