All of us have dreams. All of us have a burning passion to do something with our lives. Our dreams and desires are clues to what we were born to do. What we were meant to do. For me, my dream was always to transform lives through my teachings and to empower people to become the best they can be. I love writing, I love teaching, I love business and I love trading the markets. Today, I get to live my dream every single day.
I bet you have dreams yourself. I bet there is something you would love to do with your life. You know that you were born for a purpose.. you know that there is something you were always meant to do…. something you were born to do.
If you are not living your dreams yet. Don’t stop dreaming and don’t stop believing. Don’t ever let the ‘realities’ and ‘practicalities’ of life ever give you a reason to abandon your dreams. Don’t ever lose faith that you will reach there.
Sadly… less than 1% of people in the world live their dreams and become who they were truly meant to me. It is not because they did not have the potential to do it. It is because they chose to let go of dreams when times got tough and when the reality of life got in the way.
Let me tell you the story of a man who achieved his dreams despite the overwhelming odds against him
Ang Lee is one of the most renowned film directors today. He directed great classics including “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Hulk” and “Brokeback Mountain.” He became the first Asian recipient of an Oscar in 2006 and Golden Globe award in 2001. He won his second Academy Award in 2013 for directing the film “Life of Pi.”
How did this elder Asian man live his dreams of becoming a leading Hollywood director? He never allowed himself to let go of his dreams despite overwhelming odds.
Born in Taiwan, Lee applied to film school at the University of Illinois back in 1978 against the wishes of his father. His decision led to the falling out relationship between him and his father.
It was after graduation that Lee would understand his father’s objection to his dreams of becoming a filmmaker. He struggled for six years working uncertain jobs including being an editor’s assistant and handling equipment for film crews. At 30, Lee had to face reality. He wrote: “I couldn’t even support myself. What could I do? Keep waiting, or give up my movie-making dream? My wife gave me invaluable support.”
Thankfully for Lee, his wife supported the family on her modest income, giving him the time needed to pursue his filming career. “To appease my own feelings of guilt, I took on all housework — cooking, cleaning, taking care of our son — in addition to reading, reviewing films and writing scripts.”He said.
Their financial situation so bad that his in-laws offered his wife a sum of money in hopes that he would use it as startup capital for a Chinese restaurant. Burdened with feelings of guilt for not providing financial support to the family, Lee enrolled for computer courses at a nearby community college.
“For the days that followed, I descended into malaise. My wife, noticing my unusual demeanor, discovered a schedule of classes tucked in my bag … The next morning, right before she got in her car to head off to work, my wife turned back and — standing there on our front steps — said, ‘Ang, don’t forget your dream.’ ”
A little while after that, Lee received funding for his screenplay and began to shoot his own movies. Those films would go on to win international awards and propel Ang Lee to international stardom and success.
He recalled his wife saying to him:
“I’ve always believed that you only need one gift. Your gift is making films. There are so many people studying computers already, they don’t need an Ang Lee to do that. If you want that golden statue, you have to commit to the dream.”
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