We have all had incredible dreams at some point in our lives. As
children there are no limits to our imagination. We want to become great in
some fields, to become a superhero, or achieve the impossible. Then something strange happens. When
we get a little older, dreams don’t seem to be so important anymore. The grade
we receive in the examination is more important than the amount of fun you have
in traveling towards our dreams. The money we earn overrules exploring the
creative pursuits of your time. Eventually, choosing a career that is practical
and safe is more crucial than one that you’re actually interested in.
Some give up at the first touch of pressure; some
sell out; some run down by imperceptible degrees and lose their fire, never
knowing when or how they lost it. Then all of these vanish in the vast swamp of
so called practical people who tell them persistently that maturity consists of
abandoning one’s dreams. Yet a few hold
on and move on, knowing that that inner fire is not to be betrayed, learning
how to give it shape, purpose and reality. They want to save their dreams from
certain death. They keep on believing that they are possible, even if they seem
ridiculous to other people. They make dreams transcend into opportunities and
they use the opportunities properly to make it a reality.
SOME GREAT
DREAMERS
Shivaji he had the dream of
building his kingdom at the young age of fourteen. He had nothing to start with
except his dream. At the age of twenty, he took out his very first military
attack and captured the Torna Fort of the kingdom of Bijapur. After that there was no stopping him
and he went on to capture other forts and created Maratha empire. All was not
well with his journey. He had many setbacks. But he used them as opportunities
to transcend and achieved his great dream.
Martin Luther King said, “I
have a dream”. He said-
“I have a
dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of
its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are
created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the
red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave
owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that my four children
will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of
their skin but by the content of their character”
He faced a lot of struggles on all
quarters. He did not give up. His fire could not be extinguished by opposition.
He achieved his dream finally.
In fact every achiever in the pages
of history was a dreamer. Dreamers like
Mahathma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela changed the course of history of their
countries. Dreamers like Steve Jobs and Narasimha Murthy created history in the
field of modern technology. Dreamers like Swami Vivekananda and Mother Teresa created
giant waves in the ocean of spirituality and gave it a new meaning.
DREAMS -> SETBACKS ->
OPPORTUNITIES -> REALITIES
Sometimes fate checkmates each step
the dreamer takes. Real achiever manages to transcend moves of fate into new
opportunities and finally wins the race with the fate. A very good example is
Mr. Soichiro Honda, founder of the corporation that bears his name. Like all
companies, no matter how large, Honda Corporation began with a dream and a
passionate desire to produce a result.
In 1938, while he was still in school, Mr. Honda took everything he owned
and invested it in a little workshop where he began to develop his concept of a
piston ring. He wanted to sell his work to Toyota Corporation, so he laboured
day and night, up to his elbows in grease, sleeping in the workshop, always believing he could achieve his dream. He even pawned his
wife's jewelry to stay in business. But when he finally completed the piston
rings and presented them to Toyota, he was told they didn't meet Toyota's
standards.
He was sent back to school for two years, where he heard the derisive
laughter of his instructors and fellow students as they talked about how absurd
his designs were. But rather than focusing on the pain of the experience, he
decided to continue to focus on his goal. Finally, after two more years, Toyota
gave Mr. Honda the contract he'd dreamed of. His passion and belief paid off
because he had known what he wanted, taken action, noticed what was working, and
kept changing his approach until he got what he wanted. Then a new problem
arose.
The Japanese government was gearing up for war, and they refused to give him
the concrete that was necessary to build his factory. He did not quit and he
did not ponder on the unfairness. He decided to utilize the experience and make
into an opportunity. He and his team invented a process for creating their own
concrete and then built their factory.
Again fate played a trick. During the war, his factory was bombed twice,
destroying major portions of the manufacturing facility. He found an opportunity in the disaster. He
immediately rallied his team, and they picked up the extra gasoline cans that
the U.S. fighters had discarded. He called them "gifts from President
Truman" because they provided him with the raw materials he needed for his
manufacturing process—materials that were unavailable at the time in Japan.
Finally, after surviving all of this, an earthquake leveled his factory. Honda
decided to sell his piston operation to Toyota. Here is a man who clearly made
strong decisions to succeed. He had a passion for and belief in what he was
doing. He had a great strategy. He took massive action. He kept changing his
approach after each setback, but still he could not produce the results that he
was committed to. Yet he decided to persevere.
After the war, a tremendous gasoline shortage hit Japan, and Mr. Honda
couldn't even drive his car to get food for his family. Finally, in desperation,
he attached a small motor to his bicycle. The next thing he knew, his neighbors
were asking if he could make one of his "motorized bikes" for them.
One after another, they jumped on the bandwagon until he ran out of motors. He
decided to build a plant that would manufacture motors for his new invention,
but unfortunately he didn't have the capital.
As before, he made the decision to find a way no matter what! His solution
was to appeal to the 18,000 bicycle shop owners in Japan by writing them each a
personal letter. He told them how they could play a role in revitalizing Japan
through the mobility that his invention could provide, and convinced 5,000 of
them to advance the capital he needed.
Still, his motorbike sold to only the most hard-core bicycle fans because
it was too big and bulky. So he made one final adjustment, and created
a much lighter, scaled-down version of his motorbike. He christened it
"The Super Cub," and it became an "overnight" success,
earning him the Emperor's award. Later, he began to export his motorbikes to the
baby boomers of Europe and the United States, following up in the seventies
with the cars that have become so popular. Today, the Honda Corporation employs
over 120,000 people in both the United States and Japan and is considered one
of the biggest car-making empires in Japan, outselling all but Toyota in the United
States.
He could achieve his great dream in spite of unexpected problems in each
phase of life. His problems and setbacks were not normal at any standard. Still
he transcended them and made his dream a grand reality.
LEARN FROM THE GREAT DREAMERS
Everyone has dreams. But only a
few people achieve them. Many people sit in awe of those few individuals that
make their dreams a reality. The truth is that everyone has the ability to make
their dreams a reality. There is really no way to bring people back from the
dead or to create a new aged dinosaur, but other more realistic dreams can be
accomplished. It is a great truth we learn from the lives of great achievers.
DREAM IT
As children we all allowed
ourselves to dream endlessly. When you begin maturing, however, there are
always those negative individuals that will tell you dreaming is a waste of
time. These are often the same individuals that are stuck in jobs they hate and
who will never pursue their own dreams. The first thing you have to do to make
your dreams come true is to allow yourself to dream. When you allow yourself to
dream you are telling yourself it is OK to think about what “could be”. When
you think outside your normal reality, people may think you are a little crazy.
But remember that dreaming does not make you crazy. It does allow you to begin
your real journey however. So, if you really want to be really happy in life,
allow yourself to dream and one fine day you will be able to find real
happiness.
TAKE CALCULATED RISKS
The first thing to remember when you create your own dream destiny
is to take risks. When you choose to follow a dream, you will most likely need
to take risks in order to do so. You will have to go outside of your safe zone
in order to do this. You might need to make a major life change or even move to
a new location. Whatever risks you need to take, however, will be for the good
of your journey. This is the phase in which most people lose track of their
dreams. Dreaming is an easy task. Having the nerve to follow them is an
entirely different thing. If you have enough guts to take these risks, you will
be much closer to your dream than when you began. Remember that taking risks
does not mean you should act without analyzing. If you are considering a major
life change, you should always think all aspects intelligently before
committing to it.
BELIEVE IT UNTIL IT HAPPENS
Sometimes it is difficult to
believe that you can make your dreams come true. Often fear of failure takes
over and corrupts the entire plan. The second thing you need to do to make your
dreams a reality is to believe in yourself. Now, this is much more than just
having self confidence. This is about knowing in your heart that what you are
doing can work out. If you believe in the dream enough and are willing to do
whatever it takes to make it a reality, then you will be a real success. It may
not be an easy road, but the rainbow at the end will be worth the effort.
If you come to a point where it just doesn't look like you can muster up any
more motivation, you need to keep on believing. There will unbelievably bad
days and days where nobody is standing behind your dream. You must stay
positive as incredibly hard as it may be. When you think and stay positive, necessary
things come to you sooner or later. So, try to keep your dream in focus as you
go through the roller-coaster of making it a reality.
DETERMINATION AND HARD WORK
Remember, life is not easy,
especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile. Achieving your
dreams can be a lot of work. Be ready for it. Dreams
require a person to stretch, to go beyond average. You can’t reach for a dream
and remain safely mediocre at the same time. The two are incompatible. If we can’t live your dreams, what is
the point of life? Is it simply breathing and surviving. Wake up actually and be excited about your
life. Remember that success is
only sweet if you work hard to get it. Always go the extra mile. Always expect
the unexpected. Make use of everything comes in your way. Opportunities may be
there in the seeming setbacks. Do not panic. Believe that there is no such
thing as failure, and that all seeming failure is an opportunity for adjustment
Transcend the mindset of limitation and ascend to the mindset of liberation. Success is not about having the right
resources; it’s about exploiting the resources you do have access to.
“Whatever you can do, or dream
you can, begin it … Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” said Goethe. It is true. Half of the battle is just
beginning your journey. After that stick
with it and always be in the alignment with your dream path. The period
of time it takes after you lay your foundation, to the time when your dreams
are realized, will vary depending on what you’re trying to accomplish. But it
will be there, teasing you, taunting you. World may be waiting for you to give up. But
never give up. Whatever may happen be determined till the end and when things
are not in your favour show the world what you’re made of. If you stay with
your dream it will energize your mind, will and emotions and empower you to do
everything you can to achieve it.
-
N.GANESHAN
