Mike Donghia on Doing Instead of Dreaming

There’s one problem with being a dreamer – it’s addictive. The shallow mental “reward” you get every time you imagine doing something great is just enough to lift your spirits and convince your mind that you’re actually doing something with your life. But you’re not. Dreaming isn’t doing. Imagining an idea doesn’t put legs to it. That takes tenacity.

Then, there comes a point when you finally realize that you’re not going anywhere – you’re running on a treadmill and watching the same view day in and day out. The dreamer instinctively resorts to safety mode – dreaming. You make these great plans and tell yourself that tomorrow you’ll take action and make changes that will influence the rest of your life. Finally, the nagging voice of action is silenced.

Forward Motion: The Minimalist Guide to Sustained, Focused Action

Mike Donghia has written an outstanding piece about being a person of action as opposed to being a mere dreamer. I especially like the part where he talks about causal and effectual reasoning. I would like to expand on what he has written.

1. Doing beats dreaming.

We all dream of things that we are going to do or would like to do. But without the follow through, it becomes a bit of a joke. It is like the smoker who is always resolving to quit right after that last pack of smokes. It isn't going to happen. You know it, and they know it. When you talk about it instead of doing something about it, you start to look really stupid. As Yoda put it, "Do or do not. There is no try."

2. Keep your dreams to yourself.

I have learned and am still learning that it is better to keep your dreams, ambitions, and plans a total secret. This will make you look less stupid and less like a loser. Plus, it keeps people from being disappointed in you. Instead, let the things you do be a pleasant surprise to people.

3. The best inspiration comes from doing.

As I commented on Mike's original article, there are two kinds of writers. The first kind waits for inspiration to strike then they start writing. The second kind go to work each day and write whether they feel like it or not. This would be Ian Fleming who wrote the James Bond novels. He got up each day and wrote just like it was a job. I have learned the same practice with blogging. It blows me away the ideas I get while in the process of writing. This is Donghia's causal versus effectual reasoning.

4. The problem is not a lack of goals but a lack of work ethic.

Most people like to make lists. Few people say, "I am going to work and see what happens." But the people in that second category are the ones who accomplish things. The self-help industry urges us to be ambitious. I think this is stupid. You should work instead and let your ambitions come to you as you labor. We focus too much on the end results and not on the process. I can say that I am going to write the Great American Novel. Or, I can say that I am simply going to write for four hours a day. Which approach will be more successful?

Nowadays, I don't tell people what I am going to do. If they ask, I am always pessimistic. Inevitably, I always say the same thing. I am going to work. That's it. There's zero ambition in that statement. Ask me anything, and I say the same thing. I AM GOING TO WORK. What are my future plans? I am going to work. Where do I want to be a year from now? Working. Do I hope to retire? Nope. I am going to work until the day I die.

This is what I was talking about in a previous article of mine about the Renaissance Man vs. the Blue Collar Man. It is the difference between the dreamer and the doer. Dreams are limitless. Actions are limited. Dreams are what we would like to do. Our work is what we actually do. If you want a contrast, compare Leonardo to Edison. Leonardo was a dreamer and quite brilliant. But he invented virtually nothing. Edison was not a dreamer. He just worked. We all know his famous saying. "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." We don't know his less famous but equally wise saying. "Great ideas originate in the muscles." This is effectual reasoning.

I keep a little black notebook that a few years ago in which I wrote down all the things I wanted to do in my life if time, money, and energy were not limiting factors. Needless to say, it was exceedingly ambitious. Then, a couple of years later, I edited that notebook. I tossed out all the destinations I wanted to visit. Then, I eliminated all the languages I wanted to learn. On and on, I cut it down to the essentials of a reading list, a writing schedule, a few bad habits I wanted to correct, a modest wish list, and a list of job skills I wanted to develop. The most ambitious part is the reading list since I don't think I will live long enough to read all those books. I keep that list, so I don't have to think about what I am going to read next. The result of that editing is that my dream book became a practical To Do list.

I can only do so much in a day, so I don't beat myself up for not getting more done. When you focus more on the process instead of the results, things go better. Edison said, "I find my greatest pleasure, and so my reward, in the work that precedes what the world calls success." For Edison, it was all about the process. I'm sure some work led to blind alleys and failures. But it was all good for him.

I'm with Donghia. Stop dreaming and start doing. I will add that it helps to tamp down your ambitions and ramp up your work ethic. Modest goals achieved trump magnificent goals dreamed. If you just work each day, you will feel fine with yourself, and you will surprise yourself with what you actually get done.

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