Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. – Harriet Tubman
We are rapidly approaching the 50th anniversary of MLK’s “I have a Dream” speech. He had the strength, patience, and passion, and he changed the world. What is your dream?
What does that mean?
There is a slightly longer version of this quote, which I greatly prefer. It starts with an extra sentence, and is as follows:
“I have come to learn that every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
What I love most about the quote is the opening: Every great dream begins with a dreamer. The Wright brothers wanted to fly. Martin Luther King Jr wanted to see everyone treated based on their character, not their skin color. Everyone has a dream of some sort.
The quote continues by reminding us that we have within us everything we need to make a difference in the world. We might not be able to make our dream come true, as we cannot control other people. But we can make a difference.
The quote mentions three things which are key to making that difference. It says we have the strength to move great obstacles and weather great storms. It says we have the patience to continue to work towards our dreams when others have given up. And it says we have the passion to inspire others to join us.
Why is having a dream important?
We all have dreams. Some are a bit more self-centered than others, but we all have dreams. Even in our most selfish dreams, others usually manage to gain some benefit. Very few millionaires build their own cars, and even if they did, they’d still have to buy the parts from someone, right?
Dreams keep us working. Harder, faster, longer than anyone else. Dreams keep us up late at night and get us up early in the morning. It got us doing extra jobs to earn money for a date, or for gas money, or for a ticket to the movies or a concert.
On the other hand, what would life be like if we didn’t have a dream? How dull and boring would that be? Nothing to look forward to but the same old thing, day after day. That doesn’t sound like much fun. Even us working drones have dreams of a fantastic vacation to keep us motivated, right?
Dreams are a fundamental part of human existence. Enslaved people dream of being free, as do people who are oppressed. People with less dream of having more. We all have dreams, wants, needs, and desires. It’s just that dreams tend to motivate us a little bit more than the others.
Where can I apply this in my life?
Back when I was a kid, I wanted to be the best trombone player ever. Some of my influences were Chicago and Tommy Dorsey. I spent hours practicing, only to give it up less than 10 years later. Sometimes our dreams change.
Take a moment and think about your dreams. Even the selfish ones have some benefit for others. Even if my dream was to have millions of dollars, would I be the only one who benefited? There would be a mansion to build, cars to buy, furnishings to pick out, parties to cater, etc. That money would help many others.
It might not do as much good as donating all of it to charity or to medical research groups, but even our most selfish dreams usually have some benefit to others. The only exceptions of which I can think are those based on sinful/improper desires or methods, and those really aren’t dreams, are they?
What have some of your dreams been in the past? When I was growing up, everyone wanted to be an astronaut. By now, everyone was supposed to be one, at least on our vacations to the moon, right? But I don’t fit the mold (literally, I’m too tall) for an astronaut, so I allowed that dream to drift away.
Take a moment and consider your childhood or youthful dreams. You may still hold some of them, and others may have drifted away. Are any of them worthy of being brought back? Are you now in a position to do some of these things now that you are older and have more control over your schedule and finances?
What about your present dreams? Are they really dreams? Do they give you strength to move great obstacles and weather great storms? Do they give you the patience to continue to work towards our dreams when others have given up? Do they give you the passion to inspire others to join in your dream?
Not every idea you have is really a dream, by the definition of this quote. But those which do, those are great things to pursue. Can you make a little more time in your busy schedule to pursue these things? Can you find others with similar dreams, and inspire each-other?
We all have far more strength, patience, and passion than we realize. Most of us never really use it, as few of us follow our dreams with the intensity necessary to truly set the world on fire. The greatest people in the world have had that intensity, and they chased their dreams.
They reached for the stars, and they changed the world. Their names are known to millions, if not billions, of people. You don’t have to change the world, if that scale frightens you. Start a little smaller, and grow. But follow your dream, and the world will change.
From: Twitter, @AR_Foundation
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/harriettub310306.html
Photo by The U.S. National Archives
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