Life of Significance

“If dreams are big enough, facts don’t count”

The greatest gift to mankind is the power to dream. There is no other species that can dream and visualize the future and work out an action plan. All other are controlled by their surroundings and circumstances. But we can dream. And it has been dream of thousands of people in yesteryears that has brought us where we are on the road of civilization.

We are all born with the power of dream. But, the challenges of real world and the harsh realities of life make us bury our dreams faster than anything else. But that does not make us stop dreaming. What happens is that we shrink the size of our dream to fit our notion of what is practical and possible in real world. As a result the size of dreams becomes so small that we are unable to distinguish between dreams and the vehicles to achieve them.

One of the most saddening, observations I have made is among the youngsters. They do not know what the purpose of their life is. In fact they are never taught to dream. Ask them what their aim in life is; they will say: ‘my aim is to get a particular qualification, or a particular profession, or a good job with big company, or I wish to earn a lot of money etc.

There is nothing wrong with these answers. They feel if they have those, they will live a dream life. The problem is that, they do not know it themselves that why they want, what they want. A lot of people achieve these aims and become apparently successful, but the rosy picture of dream life they had envisaged quickly vanishes and they start feeling bitter. The conclusion they draw is that ‘dreams never come true.’

How can dreams be true if, there is no dream? A qualification, a job, or money is not a dream, but just vehicles to achieve something else. It is wrong to call them dreams. In fact the question of aim is incomplete if it is not followed by another bigger question, that is the big “Why?”

First find what your purpose in life is. You have been sent to this world with a particular set of talents and some emotions. And those talents and emotions are the indicators of your purpose in life. And then think weather, the vehicle you are choosing or you are already in takes you to that purpose. Let me give you some examples:

- There is so much that can be made, build or improved, that will make peoples lives easier. I can do that if I am an engineer.
- I can not see people suffering, I should do something for them, and so I should become a doctor, a nurse, a paramedic.
- I have been gifted with the power to motivate. I can help people by spreading words of encouragement and hope. So I should become an inspirational speaker.
- It is great to see raw ingredients transforming into mouthwatering dishes, and I love to see people enjoying what I have cooked. I am going to be a chef.
- There are so many people who need help. I can help them only if I have money. I aim to get rich.

What are you doing is that you are giving your vehicle a bigger purpose. This bigger purpose is the dream. Dream is a big dream because it crosses the boundaries of selfish interests. It has to include other people around you. You are truly successful only if your success is making a positive impact in the lives of people.

If you learn to dream like this, fact won’t count any more. All the challenges that come in your way won’t dampen your spirit. You will be a crusader in your mission, ready to overcome any obstacle and each challenge will make you a better person. Whatever you do will be within the frame work of you vision, and you will have a life where you will be continuously grow towards your potential and sow seeds that will benefit others.

In fact you will not just live “a life of success,” but, more important “a life of significance.”