The Evolution of a dream.

If you have followed my blog or know me well the evolution of my dream to launch the Grove in New Haven has been in the works for several years. The Grove is a new kind of space that encourages and supports people in their work and the development of new ideas. The Grove is more than just a space, it is a dynamic community of social innovators, artists, entrepreneurs, and thinkers that are the new face of New Haven. The Grove is a co-working and collaborative space providing all the technical amenities a person or organization needs to function. At the Grove we work to host a creative, idea-rich environment that inspires networking, incubation, and collaboration. Check out our website to learn more at www.grovenewhaven.com

A dream is never realized outside of a community of friends and supporters who help to validate it. In our individualistic self made culture surrounded by the quiet isolation that robs us of our ideas, we need others. Others help us become what we cant become alone. I appreciate the love and friendship of many people who worked along side of me to ideate, design, construct, and imagine the way ahead. Some even gave financially to help us fill in the gaps. With out the help of those who believe in the dream its near impossible to see it realized.

The evolution of my dream took real perseverance. I can confess that there where many days that I wanted to give up and walk away. I couldn’t walk away because to do so would mean walking away from me. When the harsh reminders of failure linger near, the work of our dreams need to be rooted in ones identity. What I am trying to say here is dreaming someone elses dream is not sustainable. What we do should flow from who we are. Dreams are possible when they are our own dream. When a controlling idea gives birth to a dream, and the dream is yours, the contribution it is to others and society in general is hard to walk away from. Seeing a dream realized takes perseverance.  St. Francis of Assisi said, “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”

To day I am writing this blog post from inside the Grove while watching others work on their dreams. At the Grove we don’t just encourage community, we depend on it! The energy of our space comes from those exceptional people who visit and work here every day. My dream has now become a collective idea that could not have been discovered alone. Co-creating brings a life that is larger than our singleness has to offer. The Grove proved that more is possible together than alone. Members at the Grove are value-driven, collaborative people building innovative solutions for a radically better world. They come from every profession, background and culture, work in non-profits, for-profits, or the many shades in-between, and bring in diverse skills, tools, and experiences – yet, what unites them is their intent, passion and commitment to make a positive difference and tackle pressing issues in a collaborative fashion.

Dreaming is good…not living the dream is bad.

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