Digboi is a quaint little oil town in North East India. Geographically, in terms of size, lucky to be a dot in some detailed maps. But has made history by being the oldest oil refinery in Asia.
Digboi is my home and I guess I share the same spirit like most people there. That small towns can also stoke and fuel big dreams. Someone very dear to me was mentioning the other day that dreams die first. Before we give up on life. How true.
I have always dared to dream. And dream big. For most of my colleagues from the big bustling metros, I am just another cog in the wheel. But for me,I am proud of every hurdle I have jumped, every race I have sprinted, every mountain I have climbed. I celebrate every small victory, every small achievement.
Dreams are what makes life happen. And uncanny though it may sound, I find this applies to brands as well. I have asked myself- what will this brand dream? And the answer I have may seem ridiculously ambitious at first glance. But then we bring out the plans and the charts and the innovation funnels and years down the line, voila- the dream that the brand dared dream has come true.
It's good to have a Brand Dream exercise once in a while. Draw out the dream, maybe paint it . Or just script it out vividly. Then draw out a roadmap of how the dream can become a reality. May not have a timeline, should not actually. Share it with stakeholders. And be ready for cynicism, arguments. After all, how often are we ourselves encouraged to dream?
Why is dreaming important when we have brand visions and plans? Because dreaming brings in imagination. And keeps the shackles of realities at bay.Dreams free our minds from all constraints. That's when we truly push ourselves to achieve our full potential.
May be a good idea to have a Brand Dream up on the wall. It will inspire us and show us the route. When we are at crossroads.The more vivid it is, the better.
It will also push us for more, when we feel it's time to relax and sit back.
So let's not let dreams die. Whether it is our own, or the brands we work for.
For, as G.B Shaw said, "You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, 'Why not?'"
Have a great weekend, everyone. And keep those dreams alive.
