Dare to dream

If I told you my dreams and aspirations, many of you would secretly think I'm crazy. That's how insanely huge they are, they scare me too. I am not talking about images and thoughts that pass through our minds while we are asleep. I am talking about extravagant ambitions and plans that many would pass off as simply building castles in the air. Well, I am a self confessed dreamer and I believe in the validity of my dreams.

When Lupita Nyong'o came into the limelight after her very first film role in the movie '12 Years A Slave' earned her numerous awards, I thought, now there is a dream coming to life. But again  I thought: she is from an above average family, attended college in America, worked as part of the production crew for many films. So she was not that far off from her dreams. Her dream was more 'realistic' and reachable. Still, the speed and might with which she has climbed up that success ladder goes to show that you can never dream too big. Back when they called her ugly or looked down on her skin tone, who would have known she would be gracing covers of top magazines as one of the world's most beautiful woman!

Then came Aamito Lagum. She feels closer to my idea of 'against all odds'. From a humble background she manged to reach out for her dream and is now living it.
The Ugandan born model took a 12 hour bus drive to Kenya to audition for the first ever cycle of Africa's Next Top Model competition. She beat over 5000 girls, some with long modelling careers and made it to the finals where she later came out as the winner.

I met this young lady at a clothing store a couple of years ago where we had both gone to catch a sale. At that time if she told anyone (me inclusive) that she was going to be walking the 2015 New York, Paris, London, Milan fashion weeks, we would probably laugh before telling her to calm her dreams down, take a seat and have some tea. That's how harshly we invalidate our own dreams and those of others. We are too scared to even look in the direction of our ambitions because they shine so bright.
She is now based in New York signed to a top modelling agency and the success story continues.



Such stories and numerous others around us go to show how far we can get if we only dare to dream. The people who get to live their dreams have the same blood running through their veins like any of us. If they can, so can we.
Many times we rubbish our aspirations into the 'daydream trashcan' because we think they are too big to come true. Sometimes the people closest to us with whom we share them are the first ones to make us shy away from what could have been a living testimony.

To get there, it starts with refusing to stay where you are. Then, getting out to get what you feel belongs to you. You have to stick to it even when the light at the end of the tunnel seems so dim. Ignore the people laughing and mocking you. At the finish line, you will have the last laugh :-)

Please share with us some of your success stories. It's always inspiring.


Go get them happy people! Let's get dreaming.

LT