Everyone has dreams. When we were children, we had ambitions about what we wanted to be when we grew up. Although over time we might realize that we have other interests, we never stray away from dreaming.
But life is tough. None of our ambitions can happen in the blink of an eye. No one ever wakes up one morning to find that they now have the life they’ve always wanted. They’ve worked for it. To achieve something, we have to put our heads, hearts, and bodies into it. Reaching our dreams requires sweat, blood, and tears. And the road is never easy. After all, nothing worth having is simple.
Only a few people actually achieve their ambitions
Statistics reveal that only 8% of people actually end up achieving their dreams. That’s a pretty small number considering that all of us, at one point in our lives, wanted something. Sadly, most become stuck hoping and are never willing to put in the work.
Because of the effort involved in accomplishing our goals, most people give up on them. They choose a career that doesn’t require too much work. They look for alternatives and easy ways out. Some keep setting their goals aside and procrastinating. Some make excuses as to why they cannot act on their ambitions now. But when we do this, we lessen the chances of success. We keep pushing back our dreams only to realize that we’ve grown too old and have neglected them. The opportunities to chase after your wildest ambitions come and go. The world will not wait for you. Time will keep passing by, and life will go on, whether or not you get what you’ve always dreamed of.
Don’t give up
Failure is inevitable. In fact, it’s part of the journey toward achieving your dreams. You don’t see fishermen going home and never trying to fish again after having no catches in one trip. No, they grab their fishing tools and come back the next day. They stay on their boats for 14 to 20 hours a day just waiting for a single catch.
Even successful people like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Walt Disney, didn’t give up after one try. They failed countless times, yet they stood back up again. Lo and behold, they ended up reaching their ambitions and becoming the most renowned and successful people in the world.
There’s a Japanese proverb that goes: “Nana korobi, ya oki.” Translated, it means: “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.” The road toward achieving your dreams is going to involve failure, rejection, and mistakes. But that shouldn’t be a reason to stop you. Instead, they should become lessons and opportunities for growth and improvement.
Succeeding after the first try great, but what’s more surreal is knowing you’ve worked hard for where you are. You put in the work, conquered the fear, and prevailed. Be thankful for mistakes. Be thankful for rejection. Be thankful for failure. All these will play a big role in fostering your growth and success.
So get up and take action now. Work for your dreams while you have the chance to. You will never be able to live with the regret if you don’t. Be part of the 8% of people who actually end up achieving their dreams. More than wanting and hoping, take action.