Dreams are an integral part of our life. Some accept this fact while others do not. No matter which side you want to be on, the facts tell us a lot about the ‘Power of our Dreams’.
We can learn a lot about the significance of our dreams from this small and yet very precise quote from the life of President Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of United States of America:
“We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers”
As per the official White House website, he regarded himself as the personal representative of the people:
One valuable lesson I learned at an early age goes like this:
The lack of focus and follow-up renders the dreams pipe-dreams. It takes a lot of courage to get off the beaten track and try something different. The fear of rejection and ridicule by the so-called well-wishers keeps us entrapped in our little boxes, much against our wish.
This is how Colin Powell, the distinguished statesman and retired four-star general in the United States Armed Forces laid bare facts about dreams becoming reality.
T.E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia had this to say about dreams:
“All Men Dream but Not Equally; those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake up in the day to find it is vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they act their dreams with wide open eyes to make it possible.”
One of the finest examples of dreamers turned achievers is none other than Thomas Alva Edison, the undisputed king of all inventors, the American born genius with over 1,000 patents to his credit. He was educated at home by his mother, without the luxury of former schooling. The youngest of seven children his parents had, he resorted to selling newspaper and at times candy to supplement the family income and put food on the table. Yes, survive he did, no doubt about that and in the process he set-up a global Conglomerate called General Electric that is still going great guns.
I could easily give hundreds of examples that history stands a live testimony to their individual genius in dreaming beyond the norm and coming out on top. However, suffice it to say, Dream and Flourish or stop dreaming and perish!
There is a well-meaning Chinese proverb that goes something like this: “A wise man makes his own decisions whereas an ignorant man follows public opinion”. So long as you keep following public opinion, you will remain a prisoner in a box of your own making. Naturally, you will not be able to take advantage of any new opportunities coming your way. You continued indecisiveness will only be the instrument of your downward slide into the quagmire of relative obscurity.
The inspiration for achieving those goals comes from our instinctive preparedness to chart the course of our journey towards those goals. This is where a true and committed ‘guide by your side, not a sage on the stage’ can help you chart different routes, visualize the challenges, hardships, negative aspects and identify much-needed logistics. Such a guide can also assist you in solving those challenges in the most appropriate fashion. This guide can identify possible refreshing as well as replenishing methods to keep you on course without much difficulty in a manageable way.
The ‘guide by your side’ can also help you set achievable targets to provide the much-needed impetus, the satisfaction each step of the way in terms of continued success in overcoming hurdles and keep pushing you forward.
One thing you will definitely agree with me on is this: we only get truly free of all worries and stop dreaming when we are interred six feet under-ground. So long as we are alive, we will continue to work, eat, rest, sleep and also Dream!
Majority of successful people will testify to the fact that their main source of inspiration has come in their dreams. They have been able to tackle their life’s biggest challenges while sleeping. This is the time when your sub-conscious takes over, to help you analyze your worries and problems in a systematic way. This process comes in front of your eyes in the form of dreams and Eureka! You got your solution.
Dreams are another form of clear vision through our sub-conscious minds at rest, away from prying eyes and discouraging surroundings.
In most cases it is the last thought on our mind, before going to bed, that comes back to us in the form of a dream and gives us the opportunity to work on it without any distraction and/or outside interference.
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Bharat as always, very inspiring and great article. What I liked most was the following “So long as you keep following public opinion, you will remain in a box of your own making.” I believe this statement applies to everything in our lives. The freedom to choose and decide what is right for us and in turn maybe inspire others in the process. I will give you the following example : I was out enjoying a superb dinner with my companion and a friend and shortly after leaned over to give him a peck ? and was told “to get a room.” Why I thought would anyone resort to making that statement? When did it become so wrong to display affection in public? I learned that evening a great lesson and that was to remain true to who I was and not what someone else wanted me to be. So you are correct, dreaming and making it happen, frees you from the chains of society and at the same time enables you to open many windows of opportunity that can create positive change in this world. Thanks again for being a guide by my side and doing your part.
My Dear Friend Suzana, I am truly short of words to respond to your above comments. I have seen it often how people enjoy sitting in judgement over others without ever paying attention to the skeletons in their own ‘proverbial’ cupboards.
Success demands that we stay away from the naysayers and never ever allow them to dictate how we should live our life. You are the most important person in your life and nobody has the authority to dictate what is good and what is bad for you up until the time you yourself give them the right to determine for you.
I, for one, truly relish this friendship as I get so much to learn from you each step of the way.
With Thanks and Warm Regards
Bharat Mathur
Bharat – Wonderful insights! It is important, as you point out, that we never stop dreaming lest we allow ourselves to wither and die. Thank you for this wonderful article.
Bharat thank you for yet another delightfully inspiring post – wow……..DREAMS….. fascinating subject.
It was some weeks ago in one of my workshops, we did discuss “dreams” with the physically, visually and hearing impaired. It is simply amazing what they thought about dreams. We put it into specific context of dreams = aspirations, hope, vision, mission and purpose and most importantly awaking up to reality. Everybody dreams – but not equally.
To some dreams may be mere fantasy, or a nightmare; a hallucination, a trance, delusion, or even castles in the air.
To others who acknowledge reality, it becomes an ambition, aspiration, hope, goal, a plan, an objective, vision towards they create a plan of action. Dreams without positive action remains just a dream.
Dr. Abdul Kalam, “ Dreams is not what you see in a sleep, it is THE thing that doesn’t allow you to sleep.”
Walt Disney’s profound statement, “All our dreams can come true, if only we have the courage to pursue them.”
Jonathan – And as always, your insights are important to the understanding of the subject at hand.
With due apologies, Dear Jonathan, here is my brief note of thanks for your excellent rendition of dreams in a supportive role to my submission. I must apologize for this unintentional oversight on my part that took more than a year to correct!
Trust you will forgive me this time!
With Thanks and Warm Regards
Bharat Mathur