The courage to live out our dreams

During the recent school holidays, I went to Universal Studios with my sons. I am not a big fan of roller coaster rides - I concluded from a very early time in my life that I am not courageous enough to subject myself to the heart-pumping speeds or the heart-stopping freefall feeling. I am glad that my older son, Junnoske, does not take after me in that regard. He wanted to ride on a junior roller coaster and that meant I had to accompany him on the ride. I went on it and was screaming my lungs out, half amused at the sounds of Junnoske's laughter beside me, clearly enjoying himself.

I may never have the courage to go on the Battlestar Galactica ('the' roller coaster in Universal Studios Singapore), nor bungee-jump, nor parachute off thousands of miles. Neither would many of us. But there is one form of courage that we need in life, which is to have the courage to live out our dreams.

We hear of stories of courage of great people and even simple folks through the news, read them in autobiographies, self-help books, fictional stories of heroes or heroines, attend organisation-sponsored talks and workshops by highly-paid speakers and facilitators and so on. Of course for those who have become jaded in the world will be untouched by such courage and will express their cynicism overtly or covertly. For the rest of us, we are likely to be touched, moved, inspired, motivated and the desire to act and do something is stirred up within us.

However, what I have noticed is that this spark that is ignited is often just a momentary one, one that glows a little, fades off for a bit and brightens yet again for a brief period before it finally disappears. It is usually unlikely that the flicker of light develops into a sustainable flame or fire to warm up the eagerness and enthusiasm to carry through something deep within you, something which you long to be able to embark on and fulfill in your life. I wonder why it is so challenging, so demanding. Is it because the story was not inspiring enough? Is it because the speaker is not charismatic enough? Is it because we do not believe we will ever be able to accomplish something big in our lives?

I feel that the inertia comes mostly from within, whatever reason or excuse you may have. Outwardly, life seems to beckon us, whether it is the homework that needs to be completed, the household chores that cannot be left till tomorrow or the enormous amount of work that our boss has piled up on our desk. We pay attention to a certain part of our lives, tending to the mundane daily requirements and missing the big picture of our lives. I will probably dwell a little more on this theme in another blog entry. But for now, take a little time to reflect on your life, your dreams, your aspirations, your longings and yearnings. Who do you want to be? What do you want to achieve? Where do you want to be? Whom would you like to have beside you on this journey?

Take the first step and embark on this wonderful and beautiful journey of the life that you dreamed it to be.

I'll end this with a passage from David Whyte, a poet whom I have great admiration for:

‎"It sets one to dream, to think about being called out to greater things..., but at the end of it all, when we put any book down, no matter how inspiring, we are left facing ourselves in the mirror and the need to get up each morning, walk out the door and live our own lives." - David Whyte, "The Three Marriages"