I was inspired to write this piece when I saw a question asked by a young undergraduate on a whatsapp group I belong to. A post had been shared with the theme; “You are the product of your dream”. She was worried that dreams don’t always come true as there have been times she had dared to dream but life consistently gave her the opposite. She was inquisitive about what should be done to ensure that despite all odds, her dreams come true.

I have identified five key principles that will help you achieve your dreams despite all odds; These principles are from experience and not some theoretical buzz words.

  1. Write it down : There is a need to take your dream out of your head and convert it into clear S.M.A.R.T Goals. “Write the vision and make it plain upon tables(notes), that he may run that readeth it (Habakuk 2:2). Break your big dream into smaller, short term goals. I practiced this in my undergraduate days and still do it now. I had a plan to graduate with a first class, on top of my class and so, each semester throughout my undergraduate days I set a goal of attaining a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 5.0/5.0, I see your eyes go wide open, yes 5.0/5.0 (never say never!). I would list all my courses for the semester and write grade A in front of each and paste it by my bed side. This clearly written goal inspires me to only do things that lead to the attainment of my goals.
  2. Be Persistent: It is important that you fail forward each time you fail to achieve your set goal. Never give up if you fail to achieve your goal once. Rather, sit back and reflect on the root cause of the present failure and ensure it never repeats itself. Interestingly, I never got 5.0/5.0 in any semester throughout my university days, but I got closer each semester with the highest GPA climaxing at 4.86/5.0 in my final semester. Someone said, Success comes when it becomes the cry of one’s heart, desire of one’s soul, with the power and energy of one’s spirit. So, keep trying. If you don’t hit the sky, you’ll land on the mountain top.
  3. Commit it to God: I don’t know about other people’s success secret, but I have noticed that the more I gave to God, the more he gave to me. Commit to live your life to God’s glory. Give him a share of your time and you can be assured, he will reward you. In biblical terms, “God is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him”. I tell young people every time I have an opportunity to say it, that “no man ever serves God and lose”. I was most successful in the semesters I was most committed to serving God. Commit your ways to God and you can be assured of fulfilled dreams.
  4. Be Diligent: While you commit your ways to God, ensure that you do not become lazy. Some fail to strike a balance between faith and work and so they fail. God ‘s promise is to bless the work of your hands. It’s a divine human partnership; hence you must be seen to have done your best before God comes in to multiply your effort. Don’t substitute your lecture time or work time with religious activities, it is counterproductive. Study diligently, work hard as you also pray hard.
  5. Be Positive : I walked into a place about twelve(12) years ago disturbed, while seeking admission after a few years of graduating from secondary school, and saw this pasted on a wall “The same adversity that causes some to break down, causes others to break record”, it changed my life forever. From that time I mastered the art of smiling always to the point that some friends worry that it’s difficult to tell when I am angry or disappointed because I have trained myself to always be positive. I determined to turn my delayed admission into a positive story, to graduate on top of my class when I got into college. I was determined not to break down, but break record. The text on my good friend, Wale’s whatsapp “dp” puts it best. It says “Train your mind to see the good in everything”. Some always see the cup half full, while others choose to see the cup half empty, it’s all about perspective. How do you see your disappointment? Will it break you or make you? The scriptures says, when men are cast down, then you will say, there is lifting up…Job 22:29. This is why I keep asking people what they mean by recession because I see opportunities. (Watch out for my article on opportunities in this recession).  Being positive helps you to get up quickly when you fail. Always look on the bright side; never give up on your dreams because it’s only the tenacious that wins. You can, only if you will!