DREAM. BELIEVE. ACT.

“You can’t be like that poor guy in the story who was just dreaming without taking action”, said Mouli.

“ The story goes like this”, said Mouli. “There was a poor brahmin who lived alone in a small village. He used to beg for his living. One day he received a pot of flour from a donor. He prepared his meal with some flour. He hung the pot with the remaining flour on his bedside. Soon he fell asleep and dreamt that the village was struck by famine. He sold his pot of flour for handsome money”, said Mouli.

“With this money he bought a pair of goats. The number of goats multiplied in a few months and he traded them to buy some buffaloes and cows. With them he started a dairy business and became a rich man. He bought a palace, got married to a princess and became popular. The couple were blessed with a baby boy who grew up to be naughty. One day while playing the boy was making a lot of noise. The Bramhin asked the boy to stop making the noise. Upon the boy’s refusal to listen to his words the furious brahmin kicked the boy”, continued Mouli.

“It was all in his dream”, said Mouli.

“As the brahmin kicked his leg, it hit the pot of flour that hung on his bedside and broke spilling all the flour to the ground”, said Mouli

“The brahmin woke up to see that it was a dream. He lost all the flour which he got”, concluded Mouli.

Mouli, my friend, was speaking to his cousin Ravi. The discussion was on Ravi’s dream of becoming an organisational behaviour consultant. Ravi wanted to start his own independent consultancy. He has been saying this for a while now. However, he was yet to start off the blocks. Whenever a discussion happens on the goals and way forward, Ravi starts off saying he has a dream. That day Mouli held the bull by the horns.

“Dreaming is ok, but one should work to make them a reality. Else it will be akin to building castles in air like the brahmin in the story”, concluded Mouli.

“Why aren’t you taking some actionable steps to achieve that goal Ravi? I find you to be just drifting”, asked Mouli.

“Situations and circumstances are not allowing me a chance”, said Ravi

"Let me tell you another story", said Mouli.

“There was a man riding a horse. The horse was galloping away and the people around felt that the man was going for some important work. A passerby walking along the roadside shouts and asks the rider as to where he was going. The rider replies,'I don’t know. Ask the horse'. Your answer is exactly like the rider’s answer”, said Mouli.

“Have a plan, Ravi. Shun lethargy. Take action. Look for resources. Upskill and learn. Set timelines to reach your target. Take responsibility and be accountable to yourself”, said Mouli.

“Start working towards your goal. Make them your priority. Make it your passion and stop giving excuses. Its ok to try and fail rather than giving excuses to be a non-starter. You can have and achieve anything you want if you pursue your dreams with passion and enjoy what you do”, concluded Mouli.

Aptly surmised by Mouli, I thought. It reminded me of Colin Powell’s words where he opined that, “A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work”.

The discussion was plain, simple and enlightening. The things I could learn from it are:

1. For achieving goals, one needs to shift gears and move from dreaming to taking action. Believe in your dreams. Have faith in your abilities. Commit to taking action as per your plans to achieve your goals. “The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up”, said Paul Valery.

2. Take up an idea. Have a plan. Set goals and milestones. Start small but pursue the goal relentlessly. “Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life; dream of it; think of it; live on that idea. Let the brain, the body, muscles, nerves, every part of your body be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success”, said Swami Vivekananda.

3. Set priorities. Take accountability and responsibility to work towards them. Seek help if required. Seek feedback. Take breaks if required but stay course on your path to achieving your goals.

“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world” - Joel A. Baker.