On Dreams & Aspirations

A Jewish child smiles before his artistic creation during the 'Paiting Pain Dreaming Peace' exhibition in San Fransisco. The exhibition sought to bridge Palestinian and Israeli cultures by bringing their children together in collaborative art.

In my previous blog post, 'On Success: The Road with No End', I mentioned that the road to our success is a never-ending journey, since our perception of it is transient. Despite its ephemeral qualities, success is arguably the anchor of our careers. We motivate and push ourselves to succeed. Success of course, is in the eye of the beholder and suum cuique - to each his own. What I also tried to clarify, was that success is not a destination but rather a journey on a road. This road, of course, is never ending because we will never get to a destination called success. I mentioned that we tend to fall in love with our misery because we always feel that success is that far away. 

What I truly believe is that all of us must overcome the potholes and tribulations in our respective roads. Of course, since I argued that the road has no end, the prospect of toiling for the rest for our lives with no end in sight is indeed daunting. Most of us self-loath, retreat into depression and complain. 

Enough of the abstract and 'chicken soup'-ish banter. Its time to come down hard on reality. I believe very strongly in the exercise of dreaming and aspiring.  I do very much wish to share this philosophy, or rather, the mentality which I have cultivated in recent years. 

Some may say, building castles in the sky is not exactly their route to success. Fair enough, but consider Henry Thoreau's words, that "if you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them." In sharing my philosophy with you, I hope to hear your own recipe for motivation; nonetheless, this is how I have laid my foundation. This is how I motivate myself to move on and overcome what tomorrow has in store for me.

This exercise involves the active mindset to sustain my hopes, dreams and ambition. Sure, sometimes I feel like a paltry actor strutting and fretting on stage. I am a normal human being with senses and affections, often feeling dejected due to the numerous failures in my life. However, I often step back and remind myself of several things:

1. The lessons learnt;

2. What others would have done in this situation;

3. What I can do better next time;

Yes, these are clichés without a doubt. But I trace my thoughts further and immediately find other avenues to sustain this motivation of mine. I never let the fire of my hopes or passions die off. Most importantly, I actively try to keep hoping and dreaming and aspiring to perform better. I open my eyes to other opportunities, for what have I to lose? Pride? My ego? Yes, you can say that self-confidence is a very key element in tracking down this road with no end. But it is the fervor of an individual's dreams and passions that keeps him or her going.

Ubuntu - we are empowered by one another

A few words about the nature of these dreams and passions. Often, I find it very rewarding to have aspirations that concern the collective. What I mean by this is, if we have a passion to be generous, unselfish and benevolent to others, either by performing a service, helping others or just giving heartfelt advice; oftentimes we will feel a lot more rewarded and motivated as we progress. Yes, I am incorporating some elements of Ubuntu in my philosophy, for I believe that there is nothing more intrinsic to humanity than our inclination towards one another. 

We are empowered by helping others and we are nourished by another's kindness. So, I hope that by being considerate to others and less self-centered, we can sustain our dreams and aspirations with relative ease and accentuate the meaning of success. For me, the meaning of success is, veritably, how long we can sustain our motivation, hopes and dreams. 

Now, it has become easier and easier for me to sustain my dreams and aspirations, because I am constantly thinking of new ways to reach out to my friends, peers and loved ones. This blog is in existence because of my hope to motivate others just like how I was motivated by numerous blogs before this. I dare to dream because I dream to dare - to dare others into trying out new ways of inspiring others with their passion. There is a myriad of ways and possibilities to sustain our dreams in life's never-ending journey.

Do you dare look into the kaleidoscope of possibilities? Once you pluck up enough courage to inspire others, the taste of success is sweet. 

"The Future belongs to those who believe in the Beauty of their Dreams" - Eleanor Roosevelt