Dreamer or Doer?

When I was in high school, our English class had a discussion one day.  The teacher posed the question:

“Are you a dreamer or a doer?”

One student became almost irate and said that he was both.  He insisted that first he dreamed of something, and then he did it.  To him, there was no reason to choose between one or the other, and he wasn’t going to be forced to do so.

I suppose most of us can relate to that sentiment, and we certainly want it to be true.  We want to turn our dreams into reality.  We know it takes more than wishful thinking, but we also know that a dream provides motivation for the work that must be done.  It’s circular.

 My teacher was trying to make us dig deeper, and ask ourselves if we tipped the scales in one direction or the other.  What were our natural tendencies; dreamer or doer?

All these years later, the question sticks with me.  I’ve thought about it so many times.

It’s not that one is bad and the other is good.  Both personality types are necessary in the world.  In relationships, workplaces, and communities, they can provide essential balance to each other.

Dreamers tend to be visionaries, but they must be careful not to spend too much time in their own heads.  If they don’t see progress toward their goals, they may become frustrated and give up.  One downfall of the dreamer is the tendency to start and stop lots of projects, without sticking to anything long enough to see results.  

Doers get things done.  They are life’s go-getters and often work very hard, but they can find themselves spinning their wheels, completing goals or projects that aren’t even meaningful to them.  In that case, their work does not lead to fulfillment, and they burn themselves out.

In the end, we have to know ourselves and how we work best.  We can seek out careers and creative pursuits that maximize our best qualities.

Knowing ourselves is part of the ongoing process.