Childhood dream is fulfilled, what’s next?

The word ‘dream’ seems something far and unreachable. I think a more appropriate word will be ‘goal’. A goal set by a child is often called ‘a dream’. A goal set by an adult is still called ‘a goal’. How fascinating?

Perhaps after realizing what it takes to fulfill a dream, the grown-ups have stopped dreaming? My dear readers, is it costly to realize a dream? Costly not just in terms of money, but time and effort as well? Have you stopped dreaming?

I have read somewhere that there are 5 types of dreamers:

Type 1: Dreamers whose dreams are in the past
These people are those who have excelled in the past. For example, a gold-medalist athlete in his/her secondary school. And they have not achieved much since.

Type 2: Dreamers who dream only small dreams
These are the people who keep saying “I must write a blog one day when I am free.” But they never get down to doing it. Because their dreams are easily achievable, so they always think that they can do it anytime. With small dreams, comes small commitment.

Type 3: Dreamers who achieved their dreams and have not found their new dreams
These are people who have achieved their childhood dreams. Many professionals such as doctors, lawyers and pilots fall into this category. And they are still living in their euphoria of achieving that dream. Some are truly comfortable with what they have done and see no need to step out of their comfort zone until the end of days.

Type 4: Dreamers who have big dreams but no concrete plan to implement towards achieving their dreams
These are the people who are still in search of the right method or vehicle to take action. And like Type 2 dreamers, they will not achieve much unless they truly commit themselves towards realizing their dreams.

Type 5: Dreamers who dream big dreams, have achieved those dreams and continue to dream bigger dreams
This category of dreamers will be the most positive and forward-looking individuals on earth.

I used to be a Type 3 dreamer. A lot of my childhood friends congratulated me for having achieved my childhood dream. I had put up my hand many years ago during a primary school lesson when the teacher asked who wanted to be a pilot when we grew up.

And I had been living extremely comfortably after I had become a full fledge operating flying professional. Not only I had no problem in meeting my daily expenses for survival, I had some extra to spare for other purposes as well. (How much do we need to survive in a day anyway? I will write on this more in another posting.)

Then I was bored. A person who is bored can’t be truly happy, can he? Also, I found myself so afraid of losing my profession and whatever little wealth I had. I was living in fear. Buying insurance policies didn’t seem to help. I was in need of a new direction. What should it be?

Then I decided to be a Type 5 dreamer. I have since made a bigger dream. (How big is this dream? Read my next posting.) Having a dream/goal to pursue gives me a sense of purpose in life. Of course, I am fully aware of the risk that I have to take to dream bigger dreams. I also have doubts of not being able to achieve those dreams. What if I fail? Can I afford to fail?

If I say no, I am back to square one - living in fear. I can never be happy that way. So yes, I can afford to take some calculated risks. I can loose all the extra I have in pursue of happiness. (How much extra is extra? Another posting.) Will I still be happy if I loose all that I have? That requires me to step out of my comfort zone. That involves changing of values and mindset, my friend. It’s not easy. But taking the path with the most resistance seems to offer greater meaning to my life. So I have embarked on changing my values for the better. Try reaching the moon, even if you fail, you’ll end up with some stars!