The world belongs for those who know how to dream...

Thinking about the future is common to everyone. In fact, it’s not a rare thing to do. As they say, “To dream is free… sky is the limit…”

In a youth conference, a speaker once said, “The world belongs for those who dream…” This statement has made me realize that dreaming in a deeper sense is definitely essential if an individual wants to survive in this world. It triggers the ability of a person to pursue whatever he has dreamed of. But nevertheless, sometimes dreaming makes one being hindered to achieve their goals in life. Dreams will stay dreams if there is no action being put to it. Dreams connote of the desirable future we want to attain. It’s a vision dwelling in us…
I may say that one cannot focus if there is no vision. Without vision, one can get caught with life’s complexity; being distracted with the negative issues in the environment and as well as the issues of the person itself. As being quoted by Dave Branon, he said that, “Life will never look fair. But when we trust God, we always know that He is faithful.” This quote reminded me of a Scripture that assures that God has a plan in my life. It is in Jeremiah 29:11, which says that, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Looking ten years ahead, what will I be? Can I be successful as God has assured?
There are factors that should be considered in order to achieve the SUCCESS in life. Primarily, a person should know how to motivate himself. As the captains of our own lives, we have the responsibility to have our own forecasting for the years to come. Setting goals, planning ahead, formulating strategies--- these all play a big role for a triumphant future. They are the major ingredients so that one will be flying high with colors.
Any activity requires planning in order to achieve a desired goal. It would be crucial for any endeavor in life without any established plan. These plans could either make or break an individual. That is why plans should be thoroughly analyzed. This thorough analysis will lead to strategies that will eventually play a big role for the success of any person.
This strategic plan will enable any individual to succeed and survive, depending on the plan that has been made. As said earlier, plans could either make or break them.

I, an Information Technology student as of now will be soon entering the real business world and be called as an IT professional. But the big question is how will I get there? What are my strategies so that I could land successfully to the field that I have chosen?
Success needs determination; determination to follow the dreams and vision inhabiting in the mind and heart, determination to pursue whatever goal that has been set. Determination also speaks of discipline. We need to discipline our thought, life, emotion, and event the way we think. Disciplining our thought means that we need to see things as complimenting with one another; that even things never turned out as we expect them to be, we will put in mind that everything happens for a special purpose, and we need to see things in a very nice view --- in a positive outlook. Disciplining our life means we need to take control of our time. Valuing our time is one way of exercising professionalism. Time discipline is important especially for worthwhile things. To cite, rather than going to malls and spending time on shopping, its more preferable to lay our time in reading knowledgeable books, journals, magazines, surfing the World Wide Web --- all sorts of exploring and unraveling the vastness of Information Technology knowing that it does advance as day passes by. We spend our time according to our maximum priority. And that priority is our future--- our Success. When we deal with our emotions, discipline can be applied in a way that we have to manage the stresses that we get around us; from the people we meet daily, family issues, national or local concerns and everything that affects our emotions. It should be that we know how to handle our stresses and the situations that we encounter. It is inevitable to face such things but when we know how to balance our emotions, it will not be difficult for us to deal with them. And lastly, the way of how we discipline our thinking --- this entails focus to our vision. We should focus on the positive side of life; we should pursue optimistic thinking. We should focus on the dreams we have envisioned. Success needs people who know how to dream. It needs people who are being unchained with their paralyzed minds. Paralyzed with the current status they have, the failures they have gone, the discouragements they have been through and they get from the people and surroundings and from what they perceive --- all the contaminants that is being trashed in their minds. It weakens their hope, lessens their confidence to follow their dreams and hinders them to achieve what they desire in their lives. They are being immobilized with all these negativities.
Success requires Change. Change of mindset. I may say that, “If I change, everything changes!” There is no wonder that I will be victorious in the end. Mindset matters in all aspects of life. It’s the mindset that neutralizes the disparity one possesses. It is mind over matter, if you don’t mind, it won’t matter. So it is necessary that we weigh and evaluate things first before we let them matter o us. If we allow them to hurt or affect us in a not-so-good way, it’s our fault then, we allowed them so. If we stay where were at, we won’t change. If a person wants to pursue their plans in life, it’s a must that he or she undergoes change --- change for the better. He or she should bring and let him or herself enter a new level in life. Change is a requirement for Success. If one desires to become prosperous, a shifting of mindset is needed. Mindset really counts.
Douglas Thornton said, “I find that the constant inspiration gained by looking at the goal is the chief thing that helps me to persevere.” Honestly, I was deeply moved with his statement. Planning ahead and setting goals, the vision and dreams, helps motivate to proceed and run after the reward that lies ahead. Focusing on the goal produces perseverance. Despite of the undertakings and peculiarity of the events around, the goal pushes us to go through. If on chooses to stay focused, he or she would not allow anything, be it the events, people, or the emotions, to get him be distracted. He would formulate strategies instead to overrun them. A person who wants to become successful in the end would live a STRATEGIC lifestyle --- a balanced life. A Strategic lifestyle would mean:
1. BELIEVING THAT YOU ARE A PERSON OF WORTH. Believing equates trusting --- trusting in our own abilities to become triumphant in the future, and confidence to attain whatever goal that has been already set. This would imply of NO “SELF-DEGRADATION” rule in spite of the weaknesses and flaws one have.
2. STARTING THE DAY WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE. Being optimistic helps an individual to stay right on the track. A positive attitude each day drives all worries away! The attitude maintains the focus and also, the focus upholds the attitude.
3. DEFINING OUR DREAMS. Like any other projects that we have or had taken, we need to know them for us to accomplish them excellently. We need to define our dreams to have a concrete plan on how to achieve them in the most efficient way. If we fail to define them, then it’s our loss.
4. NOT DWELLING IN OUR CIRCUMSTANCES. Most of the people get trapped particularly when it does let them be in the state of anxiousness. These would refer to the problems, challenges, and obstacles they have never anticipated to come their way. These are all spices of life and all spices make life more tasteful. Even though when there is fear blocking along the way, let us keep on advancing! There is no such thing as hopeless. Nothing is hopeless until you give up hope. When we focus on the goal, we will see hope unless we choose to stay, be overwhelmed and consumed with life’s intricacy.
5. START THINKING RIGHT. It’s how we perceive and receive things. It would be much easier to get into our goal if we practice thinking appropriately. Thinking too much of the garbages or the pointless thoughts in our mind would weigh us down. Thinking right demands the right perspectives in life. It speaks of our mindset, again. The way we think determines who we are and what we will become. The way we think influences how we act to make things happen. As a Proverb says, “As a man thinks, so he is.” But we should not also forget that it is the plan of Him that will prevail. No matter how much effort, how much we struggle and how big our plan are, His’ will reign.
6. KEEP YOUR EYES ON YOUR DREAM. We should not let our eyes get blurred or else there would be a division in our focus. We have many priorities in life but it should also be that “First things first.”

Life is unpredictable. It is full of surprises. You don’t know what it may bring. But as the captains of our own boat, we are liable on how are we going to make things run in a smooth flow. We are the forecasters of our own future. We make things happen in our lives. What we believe is what we become; and what we believe for should be accompanied with our actions in order for them to be fulfilled.
As of now, I am still a student who is continually learning the fundamentals of the Information and Communications Technology industry; exploring its vastness and hoping too that I will be entering, engaging, and working with the real ICT world. As a student as of now, I allow myself to discover more of the field that I have chosen. To experience challenges in my student years is essential for the development of my knowledge and skills that soon will be vital in my future career.
But as what I have mentioned earlier, “What we believe is what we become”… What I believe then, I will become. This suggests that we should possess the proper mindset for us to arrive at our individual goals--- that we should believe in our own abilities and potentials and really allow ourselves to be exposed with the unending learning around us; to never stop learning. With this motivation, I could envision myself as a professional IT person in a well-known company acquiring the competitive skills and adequate knowledge about my profession. I could visualize that I am working in a software development team. I could also envision myself as occupying a top rank and being well-compensated by the company. Ten years from now, I could see myself as a successful IT professional mentoring other people; helping them to carry out their objectives.
With all of these futuristic ideas and plans I have, it will just be fulfilled if it is the perfect will of Him. As what the Scripture says: “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is His’ that will prevail”… Nevertheless, He has also promised that He has the perfect plans in our lives; not to harm but to prosper us. This means there is hope for everything. As long as we do our part, believe in ourselves, and most importantly, trusting Him in all our ways, we will succeed.