Ditch the Doubt, Dream It Out!

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day …..”.

In 1963, at the culmination of the March on Washington, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, a powerful call for equality that resonated around the world. King's dream wasn't just for a specific moment; it was a clarion call for a continuous pursuit of a better future. His legacy urges us not only to dream and hope, but to take action and make those dreams a reality.

And yet somewhere along the way, the fire dims. We get bogged down by negativity, both external and internal - naysayers whisper doubts, and a tiny voice within us echoes their sentiments, urging us to settle for the practical over the extraordinary. With each passing day of confirming this behavior, we lose a touch of that childlike wonder that once fueled our boundless imagination.

“Don’t waste your time.”, “Stop dreaming”, “I have other responsibilities.", "It will not change anything really", “Don’t even try. You’re too mediocre”. “I don’t have enough time.”. .. etc. etc.

It’s time to change our narrative. Dreaming is not a luxury - it's a necessity.

“I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul…” – William E. Henley (Invictus)

As human beings with living souls, we were made to dream. We have all inside of us this longing for beyond, for better, for the infinite, for growing and creating. We are wired to walk, talk, think, sing, dance and create. When we become inactive and stop creating, week after week after week, we become ill. We develop diabetes, heart disease, depression, we lose muscle, become anxious, stressed, overweight — we become unwell. Let’s not silence our inner voice that whispers of possibility!

Dream daily, write your dream down, then take action!

Dreaming every day, big or small, fuels our own personal journeys and opens doors to unexpected possibilities. Here are 5 steps that can help us all get started:

• Jotting down our dreams and capturing fleeting ideas and revisiting them later. Finding joy in the small discoveries of everyday life, like a little child .. asking yourself “what if ?”.
• Stop listening to both external and internal nay-sayers. No more excuses!
• Ending the day by reflecting on one thing you'd like to achieve, no matter how small. Set a timeline.
• Having an accountability partner and surrounding yourself with yes-sayers with positive individuals. Do your homework.
• Take the first step toward your dream. And the next. And the next. Quitting is not an option.

“You may say I'm a dreamer, But I'm not the only one, I hope someday you'll join us, And the world will be as one ...” As I listen to this beautiful song ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon where he is trying to paint a picture of a world without war and poverty, and inspiring listeners to imagine a better future for all, it leaves a very thought provoking sensation within… Like Lennon, let's paint a picture of a future fueled by our dreams. Keep channeling that consciousness into something positive, rediscovering the joy and curiosity of childhood..

I challenge you, as I challenge myself: dare to dream.

Reference:

Drew D. Hansen — The Dream — Martin Luther King Jr. — 2003 by Ecco (Harper Collins Publishers). Musical inspirations from ‘Invictus’ by William Ernest Henley, “Imagine” by John Lenon. Article from Daniel J Botha on Medium.