Dreamer – Someone who can describe some future hoped for situation, but has no clear date for when they want to be there, and isn’t actively right now pursuing that vision. A dreamer loves to think about the future and what it could be like, but there is no concrete connection between that future situation and the work that needs to be done today to get there. And a dreamer never puts a date on when they intend to get there. Intentionality is not part of the dreamer’s tool set.

The difference between a dreamer and a visionary is that a visionary has already taken the three steps required to create real and lasting change:

1. Make a decision (stop talking about it, stop dreaming, commit)
2. Put a date on it.
3. Go public

Visionary – A person who does this has burned their bridges; they’ve put themselves in a position where that future reality is the focus of everything they do. They are actively, right now, every day, doing the things that will get them there. Until you take the three steps that create real and lasting change, and get moving toward that clear objective and date, you’re just dreaming, and playing office.

Conation – the will to succeed that manifests itself in single-minded pursuit of a goal. Conation is one of the 1,000 most obscure words in the English language, but it is central to becoming a visionary.

If you have a clear picture of where you want to go, and WHEN you want to be there, and you’ve let everyone know, you’re much more likely to conate (start acting on that picture and date) and actually get there.

Are you a dreamer or a visionary? Do you know clearly where you’re business is going and exactly when you intend for it to be there? If not, you’re just dreaming about something nice that could happen at some future time, if you only committed to what that was and when you expected to be there.