By: Iyo_Embong

When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds. Your mind transcends Iimitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.

In recent days while talking to a friend, I asked “What do you dream as a career and to be happy in life?” She replied – “to be a performer” and so on…

My first question is more about the source of her dream. Is this really her dream as individuals? Or is she carrying somebody else’s dream? In many cases the person who tries to reach the dream is not the source or owner of the dream. And this is the biggest reason why people abandon their dreams.

Parents many times dream and choose the ‘right’ career for their children and the child tries to reach that. The same thing can be seen in a work place where the managers set the goals and the subordinates try to reach it.  Dreams as in the above mentioned case may stem from what is socially accepted or seen as available and reachable.

In these cases the passion and concern of the people trying to reach for this ‘imposed’ dream will be way less than the people who actually dreamt that. The people who are trying to reach the dream may be more committed to ‘pleasing the dreamer’ than reaching the dream per se. So the internal drive may not be equal to that of a person who is pursuing their own dream to satisfy their own self. The motivation will be different.

An imposed dream may or may not be based on the natural strength of the person. It is like going to a restaurant and eating on some other person’s order. It is a matter of chance. If the order turns out to be your liking then well and good. You find it easy to finish off the dish. But if it turns out to be something which is against your taste, how easy it is to complete the meal? Yes, with the dream also if it is imposed from outside, it is a matter of chance. If it turns out to be compatible with your passion and natural strength it is in fact ‘your own dream’. But if it is not compatible, then reaching that dream definitely will require ‘hard work’ and a lot more time, effort and motivation.

So the first step to reach your dream is to ‘be aware‘ about your dreams. Your dreams are about who you really are. It allows you to grow as a person; it allows you to develop your own self. If it comes from your inner self, it has a purpose and it is there for expression of your unique self.

Have you noticed how people are different in making their choices? They are unique to them and we all are different in our choices and passions. You may not chose to be a police man or a musician, but some are deeply passionate and enthusiastic about those profession.  We all have a purpose in our lives and our dreams are the signs of our path to fulfil our purpose, our own growth.

Reaching Your Dream is about becoming Your Dream Self, expressing Your Unique Self.  So, is it not worth asking and being honest with yourself about your dreams? What are your feelings when you are taking steps to reach that dream? Do you feel motivated or daunted? These reflections will give you a peek at your inner self. Dreams are expressions of the deepest corner of our hearts. So your emotional reaction will give you a sense of the significance of that dream to you, your present state, your life and your future.

When you are out to make your dream a reality, you are on a personal journey. When you want to go for a particular destination say for your holiday, what do you do? You put effort to build a clear mental picture of your destination. We try to get information about the place, the exciting points of the place – both visual and descriptive, the convenient points of stay and travel, the cost of the services, the behavioural dos and do nots of that place and culture, the things to buy so on and so forth. And the clearer the mental picture becomes; the clearer becomes the action points, sourcing the resources and time scheduling of the visit. And of course the clearer the picture the lesser the anxiety and more relaxation sets in, more fun and excitement builds up. It is the same process for your ‘dream come true’ journey.

Every dream has the potential to be realised and come into existence.  So go ahead, explore your inner self and be aware about your own dreams. Ask yourself “Is my Dream really my dream?” Or are you not aspiring for somebody else’s dream.

In order for an individual to reach their goal and achieve their dreams, they need to be FOCUSED. It is possible that an individual can get what he or she desires, if they are SINGLE-MINDED in their pursuit, and do not allow negative thoughts to interfere with their dream.

By: Iyo_Embong