Askiyabooyawale -
This week’s Monday Morning Dew (MMD) is titled Success Is for Chronic Dreamers. Let me quickly tell you a story before I proceed.
Watch The Video for More
The Story of Ezek
Ezek woke up with a sharp grunt. “I can no longer see. I’m in total darkness. I can no longer see.” He kept shouting until his mother rushed to his bed side. He was quickly rushed to the Specialist hospital.
After a battery of tests, the doctors said his situation couldn’t be helped. They suggested he should be enrolled in the school of the blind in order to learn skills that would assist him in life.
Interestingly, Ezek had been born normal. He had been a bubbly child until the age of 10 when he suddenly lost his sight in mysterious circumstances. Before the incident, he had dreamt of being a great writer.
He admired writing giants like Chinua Achebe and Professor Wole Soyinka. But, his blindness seemed to have put paid to his dreams. At least, that’s what he thought. He couldn’t fathom being able to write after loosing his sight.
After a lot of tears and ‘WHY MEs’, Ezek’s parents enrolled him at the school of the blind. He was assigned to a diligent teacher called Anne Descanta. He was always angry initially but her teacher was patient with him.
She taught him how to use the Braille and encouraged him to put his thoughts down. She felt it was a good way to calm his anger. If he made his darkest thoughts known, he can at least feel relieved. And stop being difficult.
That trick worked greatly and sparked off Ezek’s original dream to become a writer. He found himself writing, often and often. His teacher encouraged him to keep at it, even when it didn’t make sense. He wrote so many manuscripts, most of which he never hoped would be published. “Where would the money come from?”, he had thought to himself.
But, one day, a popular publishing concern came to the school of the blind to scout for talent (as a way of giving back to the society). There and then, Ezek was discovered. One of his works was published and he went on to win the writer’s award for that particular year.
So, what worked for Ezek? What made his dreams come true? I think it’s the fact that he held onto his dreams, through thick and thin. Through tears. Through challenges. Through despondency. The fact that his teacher never gave up on him also helped greatly.
This story leads me to this week’s MMD. And, it’s titled:
Success is for Chronic Dreamers – Hold Fast to Your Dreams
Do you want to succeed in life? Do you want to win at this game called life? Then, get into the dreaming habit. I know what you’re already thinking but I’m not talking about night dreams here. I’m talking about day dreams. Those dreams you have with your eyes wide-open. They have incredible power. Not just to change your life but the lives of countless others.
No wonder Eleanor Roosevelt, former US first Lady says “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
You can have a beautiful future through your dreams. In the Bible, Joseph had a dream and held onto it. He defied all odds to see the dream come to pass.
Same with Nelson Mandela. He had the dream of a free South Africa. He fought for that dream, went to prison because of his convictions. Eventually, his dream came to pass. In his lifetime. Before he eventually passed on.
Same with Martin Luther King. He had the dream of equality for African Americans and was willing to die for it. Today, that dream has been fulfilled. Even after the death of the original dreamer.
Now, these are political dreamers.
What of business dreamers like Steve Jobs? He dreamed of a computer that you can carry around, like a book.
In a speech he gave in 1983 at the Center for Design Innovation, Steve Jobs said “Apple’s strategy is really simple. What we want to do is we want to put an incredibly great computer in a book that you can carry around with you and learn how to use in 20 minutes. That’s what we want to do and we want to do it this decade.”
That dream has come to pass as we now have the iPad and a couple of other technological innovations such as the iPhone.
So, What are You Dreaming About?
Are you dreaming about starting a career, business, movement, website, etc? The possibilities are really limitless. But, just know that a dream is a seed. All seeds do not lead to a bumper harvest. Why? It depends on the care the seed gets from the time it enters the ground. If it is well-taken care of, it gets to produce a bumper harvest. So, you must ensure to treat your dream well so it can yield for you in abundance.
How to Make Your Dreams A Reality
Dreams have the capacity to come true if we courageously pursue them. But, we don’t do that enough. You require more than magic to make your dreams come true.
At least, that’s the sense I get from this quote by former United States Secretary of State, Colin Powell.
He says: “a dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.”
Your dreams can work, even when you discover a sharp difference between your dreams and reality. I’ll say you shouldn’t allow that to discourage you.
4 Things That Will Work for You
Passion
Passion enables you to stay focused on a dream. You’ve got to feel so strongly about your dream that no amount of persecution will make you quit. You have a strong desire and you want to realize it. No matter the cost.
Hard work
It takes work to make a dream come true. Lazy people cannot achieve their dreams, so, you have to be prepared to work. Get your hands dirty. That’s where the power lies. That’s where the results emanate from.
Determination
Alongside passion, you require determination. This is sheer grit and firmness of purpose. It will enable you to keep going, even in the face of overwhelming challenges.
Patience
Even though Steve Jobs talked about the iPad as far back as 1983, the iPad wasn’t introduced until January 27, 2010. That’s roughly 27 years! It does take time to achieve worthwhile dreams. The gap between a dream and its fulfillment is usually a wide one. So, be patient, while you work at your dreams. Your patience will pay off if you refuse to give up.
Finally, refuse to listen to naysayers. People who say your dreams cannot be achieved. Your dreams have value. Keep pursuing them. Remember to also pray. You need spiritual energy to succeed in life. And that is why you should consider having a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. He helps you through the hoops, as your pursue your goals.
The post Success Is For Chronic Dreamers appeared first on Ask Iyabo Oyawale.
