You never had a dream- it was the dream that chose you
Let me start here! No one chooses the family into which he is born, the race he belongs, skin color, country, or even their first name. It was all chosen for us. These and our dreams, ambitions, passions are things that we have little or no control over. We do fall into the erroneous trap of believing that what we cherish and love to do is our own doing. Rather, we were chosen by and for that specific purpose. For all circumstances and situations, we find ourselves in, there is always a domineering force that guides our hearts and hands to do what we do. The absolute reason we all excel differently at different things. No wonder you have a class of students, who gave similar attention and read the same way, yet one would excel more than the others. Yes, we all have the same brains but who excels among these lot in the classroom is not our individual choosing. Exams, as described here, might not be an objective test of intelligence and success, but yes, you would see just a similar spectrum of success among these sets of students at different activities and at different times.
Now let us make sense of this in the real world. No one has a dream. It is the dream that has us, consumes us, and drives us to do what people see and are amazed about. It becomes an addiction and with constant practice without which we wouldn’t have derived joy and happiness anyways, we become better at it. The dream becomes the reason for our sole existence that without fulfilling the wishes of this dream, our life becomes worthless. Stuffs you cannot not do are passions you are driven by. They are dreams that would not let you sleep, and burdens that would keep mounting if not fulfilled. They might not pay you pennies or light your candles but without them, you are not full and whole. They are obsessions that do not get you tired and addictions that do not hurt. Your dreams would find you and call you out among people. They are flames that starts with a spark and consumes you and everything you touch. It is what people see when they see you and it is what comes out of your mouth anytime you speak.
And yes, there are those that are consumed by the dream through circumstances- good or bad- that befell them, and this dream becomes their life’s work. There are tales of those who are successful in a particular field of endeavour but are driven by a passion to another. Nothing can bring meaning, joy, and fulfillment to Michael Jackson if it was not dancing and singing. And nothing can truly gratify Muhammad Alli’s existence if it was not Boxing. All through their struggling years, you might have said they were chasing their dreams, but in reality, it was the dream that had them. It is like a spiritual possession of sort and that is why people would say- surely you had it in you!
According to Jeff Goins in his “Writers manifesto”, writers “write, because they simply cannot not write. By their gifts and a higher calling, they are compelled to create.” The same goes for everyone adept at a thing. Bill Gates did not just become rich and famous in the world of computers; he was chosen to be consumed by the love and passion for coding and software. His wealth and fame are a thing and being adept at computers is another. Many are Bill’s colleagues or those who were adept at computers more than he was or those who even taught him what he knew but were not chosen to be who he is today. Do not be surprised also to see him excel if his calling were to be in automobiles.
An early realization of this reality would serve as a bedrock on which you can build your life upon. Do not fret on things that are and would not be meant for you. Identify those potentials you were given; it is a gift. Use it and let the world be amazed. You might not be as famous as Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, but if you continue to kill that dream that has consumed you, your name might not be on the lips of people till eternity. Dreams are about survival and existence, Joy and fulfillment, blessings in the guise of burden and they are flames in need of a spark. You need to light them for others to see.