The dreamer’s disease.
There is this small segment of the world’s population with the courage to think differently from the rest of humanity. Their way of thinking is so radically different because they are focused on the far future. They want to make a difference.
We all think about the future now and then, but most of our actions are all about the present. Only a few of us are willing to tackle problems that nobody has yet solved, and which may never be solved. We admire the ones who have succeeded, but we typically label the efforts of the ones still trying as ridiculous, worthless or inefficient.
If you are a visionary, it means you have been infected with the “dreamer disease.” Here are the symptoms and implications of your illness:
- You dream BIG – your actions are all about the uncertain future.
- Your work is neglected by almost everyone; most consider it a waste of time. You know how important your work is, but the years of slow progress are taking their toll on your ego. (You cannot deny that.) All the other people, doing their usual stuff, are being rewarded for their work. You, with your visions and ideas, want a piece of that – even if it’s just for a minute or so. (Sorry.)
- While you’re busy looking so far ahead, you barely see what is happening in front of you. In trying to solve the toughest problems on the planet, you may fall victim to simple, routine problems. Slap yourself once in a while, to log off “the future” and give a little attention to the here and now (before it bites you).
- Thinking differently is hard, but it is even harder to think differently and rationally at the same time. This is due to the mass media, our mass education system, and the herd instincts programmed in our DNA.
If you recognize some of these symptoms in yourself, do not worry. If you truly want to, you can cure yourself quite easily. Just tell yourself you’re a happy, real-world-loving extrovert and start working in sales or marketing (like Ann). You’ll be cured in no time.
Ann: Correcto. I have no such problems. In the long term we are all dead, you know.