| We live in an era of dreams. Not only are we urged to | | | | In a nutshell, quest for dreams involves sacrifices, and |
| dream, it seems that we'll have to dream big. | | | | the stakes can be high. Imaging how miserable it can |
| "Set the target to achieve your first million! Pin the | | | | be if you have braved the rough seas to reach the |
| picture of your dream home up. Admire it every | | | | dream island, only to realize that it is a wrong place to |
| morning and imagine that you've already owned it," | | | | be in - and there is no turning back! |
| says the typical motivator. | | | | When this happens, a dream turns into a nightmare! |
| It is important to dream. Dreams motivate success. | | | | The way to avoid landing on the wrong dreamland is |
| I am what I am, partly because of my dreams. | | | | to be truthful now, not later. Reflect on what you really |
| It is, however, equally important to pursue a dream that | | | | want. Let yourself go, and allow your inner self to tell |
| is truly yours. When setting your sight on what you | | | | you what exactly you want. Not what others want! |
| want to do in the future, ask yourself: Is the dream | | | | It takes courage to examine the truthfulness of |
| really yours? Or has it been imposed on you by others | | | | dreams. This is especially when, instead of dreaming |
| or circumstances. | | | | big like others, you choose dream simple. |
| Do you strive for the first million because it is what | | | | Simple, nevertheless, can be big. The Indian |
| your heart directs you to, or it is what seems to be the | | | | Independence leader Mahatma Gandhi led a simple life. |
| 'right' way to dream? How do you define your dream | | | | But he was by no means small. |
| home? Is it defined by its size and swimming pool, or | | | | "Long and short define each other. High and low |
| by the love and warm it permeates? | | | | oppose each other. Fore and aft follow each other," |
| "When people see things as beautiful, ugliness is | | | | says Lao Tzu. There is no one standard in life. There is |
| created. When people see things as good, evil is | | | | no one standard in defining dreams. If there must be a |
| created," says Lao Tzu, the sage of Tao, in Tao Te | | | | standard, it must be yours, not others'. You need the |
| Ching. | | | | courage to recognize your standards, which may not |
| In the definition of Tao, nothing is absolute. | | | | be the same as your neighbors'. |
| A dream can be a dream. The same dream can also | | | | This is because ultimately you are the one who has to |
| be a nightmare. | | | | trek the journey, pay the price, and get the rewards - |
| A pursuit of dreams can be arduous. Not only could it | | | | or penalization -- if any. Not your neighbors! |
| be time and energy consuming, it requires commitment | | | | In fact, your heart knows your standards, if you allow it |
| and could be at the expense of your other ambitions. | | | | to speak. |
| On the other hand, it may take your loved ones away | | | | In any case, if you must pursue a dream, it must be |
| from you, or delay a relationship you want to develop. | | | | truthfully yours! |