13 THE GIFT OF A DREAM (25); FOLLOWERS OF THE DREAM II

"By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination." - Christopher Columbus

You ever heard of the aphorism, "If you don't live for something, you will die for anything."? Anyway, our beliefs - dreams that is - are capable of either bringing us to "followers" or "destroyers" of our dream. Those who'll help us fulfill or destroy them. It's up to us to decide who is what.

One day, in the year 1484, a tall, strongly built man of commanding presence stood before the King of Portugal at the Court of Lisbon. Portuguese sailors had already passed the equator, but the Cape was yet shrouded in mystery. The king could not read those keen blue-grey eyes, kindling with eager interest, as the Italian unfolded his wonderful plan. "Sail to the West and the East will be found." Such words seemed at first the words of a madman. Columbus explained his idea to the king; told him of the long years he had worked at his scheme, how sure he felt that there was a shorter way to the East, than by Africa. THE WORLD WAS SURELY ROUND. If Asia could be reached by sailing east, surely it could be reached by going west.

THE GIFT OF A DREAM (24); FOLLOWERS OF THE DREAM

"Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams." - Ashley Smith

Follow

One category of people that are indispensable to the fulfillment of any great dream is true follower-ship. We must understand clearly that there is a major difference between true followers and people that just tag along simply because your dream sounds amazing, they are different from sycophants, hired hands or praise singers. The motivation of a true follower is simply, "BELIEF".

S. I. McMillen, in his book "None of These Diseases", tells a story of a young woman who wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the question on the application blank that asked, "Are you a leader?" Being both honest and conscientious, she wrote, "No," and returned the application, expecting the worst. To her surprise, she received this letter from the college: "Dear Applicant: A study of the application forms reveals that this year our college will have 1,452 new leaders. We are accepting you because we feel it is imperative that they have at least one follower."

THE GIFT OF A DREAM (23); IT CAN'T BE DONE?

"Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait. The grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas." - Henry Ford

Henry Ford

Like we have already heard in the past, "a dream isn't those pictures you see in your sleep at night, but those pictures that prevent you from sleeping at night". The Gift of a dream is the best gifts any human being can be blessed with in his lifetime. Irrespective of the fact that most dreams are divine, we should understand that their fulfillment will be fraught with difficult challenges.

He started two companies that went bankrupt before he successfully invented the Ford Motor Company. At the beginning of the 20th century the automobile was a plaything for the rich. Henry Ford had a dream, which was to build a simple, reliable and affordable car; one the average American worker could afford. Out of this determination came the Model T and the assembly line - two innovations that revolutionized American society and molded the world we live in today. Henry Ford did not invent the car; he produced an automobile that was affordable by the average American. While other manufacturers were content to target a market of the well-to-do, Ford developed a design and a method of manufacture that steadily reduced the cost of the Model T. Instead of pocketing the profits; Ford lowered the price of his car. As a result, Ford Motors sold more cars and steadily increased its earnings

THE GIFT OF A DREAM (22); ARE YOU LIKE WALT?

"Let’s have faith that right makes might; and in that faith let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it." - Abraham Lincoln

Truth be told, nobody else but you can understand your dreams better than yourself. Which is why many people, will oppose you anytime you talk about a dream you passionately wish to fulfill; because they, in most cases don't have the capacity to comprehend it. Someone once said that "dreams are not those pictures you see while asleep at night, but those pictures that prevent you from sleeping at night."

Walt Disney had a dream and he never gave up. Early in his career he was fired because they thought he didn't have "good ideas". That just made him dream more. When he was starting out in Kansas City he couldn't sell his cartoons. Some hinted that he had no talent but Walt Disney had a dream so he set out to conquer his foes. He found a minister who paid him a small amount to draw advertising pictures for his church. Disney had no place to stay, so

THE GIFT OF A DREAM (21); WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR DREAM III?

“Let the man who says it cannot be done not disturb the man doing it." - Chinese Proverb

Two categories of people with will have a profound effect or your dream or vision, they could be the deciding factor as to whether your dreams become reality or not. They are categorized as optimist or pessimist, on the road to fulfilling your dream you must keep a keen eye out for these people.

Two boys - twins - one an incurable optimist and the other a pessimist; whose parents were worried about their behaviour and attitude. So took the boys in to see a psychologist. The psychologist observed them a while and then said that they could be easily helped.

He said that they had a room filled with all the toys a boy could want. They would put the pessimist in that room and allow him to enjoy life. They also had another room that they filled with horse manure. They put the optimist in that room. They observed both boys through one way mirrors. The pessimist continued to be a pessimist, stating that he had no one to play with. They went to look in on the optimist, and were astounded to find him digging through the manure. The psychologist ran into the room and asked what on earth the boy was doing. He replied that with all that manure, he was sure there had to be a pony in the room somewhere.