Perhaps this goes without saying, but dreams are far inferior to goals. When I think of dreams, I think of the opening to Their Eyes Were Watching God, which says something to the effect of "Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board." She then goes on to contrast the dream-like thinking of men to the thinking style of women, which she says is more goal-oriented and focused--action-based.
I think she's right, first of all. Women tend to be more action-based than men, at least in the Western culture I come from where men are encouraged to "dream big." But, moreover, the futility of dreams when juxtaposed with goals is so stark it's almost embarrassing--particularly for people like me who have sometimes confused the two.
I'm sure there's a famous quote out there that says something like, "a goal is a dream with legs," or whatever. But that's essentially what I'm trying to say. A dream is a goal without a plan. And, for some people, it's just a semantic nuance because when they dream they simultaneously set goals. However, for the rest of us, I think it would be valuable to make a linguistic differentiation between dreams and goals. Saying the correct word may help us set and achieve better goals while still enjoying our dreams.
I think she's right, first of all. Women tend to be more action-based than men, at least in the Western culture I come from where men are encouraged to "dream big." But, moreover, the futility of dreams when juxtaposed with goals is so stark it's almost embarrassing--particularly for people like me who have sometimes confused the two.
I'm sure there's a famous quote out there that says something like, "a goal is a dream with legs," or whatever. But that's essentially what I'm trying to say. A dream is a goal without a plan. And, for some people, it's just a semantic nuance because when they dream they simultaneously set goals. However, for the rest of us, I think it would be valuable to make a linguistic differentiation between dreams and goals. Saying the correct word may help us set and achieve better goals while still enjoying our dreams.