The Courage to Dream
I love playing a game called ‘Light Bulb Questions’. I ask students to pick a different coloured light bulb and each one reveals a new question for the student to answer. My favourite question is, “What is one dream that you have for the future?”
The answers are always magical. The students – ranging from ages ten to thirteen – would share their unfiltered ambitions. One girl told me how she plans on building sustainable housing in villages in Africa.
As we grow older, we realise how much effort it takes to become wealthy; how strenuous it is to become a professional athlete or how daunting it is to pack up and travel. Our dreams begin to fade. With rejection, social anxiety and the realization that resources are limited; we stash away our box of dreams and label it as ‘fantasy’.
I felt saddened by this idea that so many childhood aspirations are simply neglected because they are deemed unrealistic. I wanted to try and change this; so, I challenged myself to start to making a concerted effort to realise some of my ‘fantastical’ dreams.
I focused my attention on some of my dreams and I began to see them transform into something tangible. I managed to start my own business – after taking a huge risk and leaving a stable corporate job. I used this new business to fuel some of my other dreams such as travelling; which I was fortunate enough to do while networking and building my company.
However, this past year has also brought some nightmarish things into reality. The world has been plagued by disease and my own family with my mother’s cancer. And although, as a child I never dreamed of having the cures to these unforeseen struggles; I used my renewed belief in dreams to get me through.
Now, even though, we are still in the pandemic, I feel privileged to be one of the South African educators who was able to be vaccinated. And my mother been declared cancer free and is on the way to a full recovery.
All these experiences, the good, the challenging and the terrible have taught me many things. But, the one thing – that I feel has most deeply impacted me – is the courage that I had to have to pursue my dreams through it all. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to believe that tomorrow will bring something new; to feel the pain and to still see the light.
In a year where I have felt at times despondent, anxious and lonely, I have also had the courage to dream! And it is the dreams which always out live the difficultly!
Have the courage to dream!
–Imagine a better world together– 🌎❤
theOPTIMISMblog 