This might seem like an unusual endeavor, but I want to standardize what we call "dreams."
A dream should emerge from your passion. It should be something you're good at, something that brings you joy, something you can think about and work on from morning to night, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. I believe a true dream is something you can keep doing, even if just a little bit each day.
A Financial Foundation for Continuity
To sustain your dream around the clock, every day of the year, you need a modest amount of money. Not for a luxurious lifestyle, but as a basic foundation to keep your activities going. The question is: how do you secure that funding? That's where creativity comes in.
Expanding to Delight Your Stakeholders
If you're going to keep at it anyway, your activities should bring joy to the stakeholders involved. In other words, you need to scale what you're doing and make it bigger. To do that, focus on what you're truly great at and delegate everything else to people who excel in those areas. This means building a team, creating systems and structures. Think of it as building a "machine" that combines human talent, hardware, and software.
Contributing to Others' Happiness
Your work must connect to the happiness of others. It should make someone's boring life more enjoyable, or help someone who isn't feeling very happy to feel a little bit happier. That should be your purpose. It should never end in self-satisfaction.
Tackling Uncharted Territory
From a more scientific perspective, I want to work on things that haven't been attempted in human history. For challenges where data and stories already exist, you can look to the past to find the method. But I want to try new approaches and solutions even in areas where the probability of success is low. I want to pursue challenges where either "the problem itself is new" or "the solution is new."
Building a Team with People Who Get It
Finally, I want to move forward with people who say "I feel you" and truly understand. It doesn't have to be a large group. Whether it's a small team or a large one, meeting people who face the same direction and forming a wonderful team is what gives you the power to realize your dreams.
International Standards That Inform This "Standardization of Dreams"
ISO 26000 (Guidance on Social Responsibility)
Relevant elements: Contributing to others' happiness, stakeholder considerations
Why it's useful: ISO 26000 provides comprehensive guidelines for organizations to fulfill their social responsibilities. The essay's emphasis on "others' happiness" and "stakeholder delight" aligns with ISO 26000's seven core subjects: organizational governance, human rights, labor practices, the environment, fair operating practices, consumer issues, and community involvement and development. It's relevant for ensuring that realizing your dream doesn't end in self-satisfaction but creates social value.
ISO 56000 Series (Innovation Management)
Relevant elements: Tackling uncharted territory, new problems and solutions
Why it's useful: The international standard for innovation management directly connects to the core of this essay regarding "creating new value." ISO 56002 provides a framework for organizations to systematically manage innovation, offering useful methodologies for working on "things not yet attempted in human history." The techniques for structuring challenges in areas of high uncertainty are particularly relevant.
ISO 9001 (Quality Management System)
Relevant elements: Continuity, building systems and structures, constructing the machine
Why it's useful: The idea of creating "a system that allows you to continue your dream 365 days a year" shares common ground with ISO 9001's process approach. It's rich with methodologies for turning dreams into sustainable activities: continuous improvement (PDCA cycle), process standardization, and clear role definition. The division-of-labor philosophy of "focus on what you're good at and delegate the rest" aligns with ISO 9001's efficient resource management thinking.