Notice a man who stands at the MRT station, doing nothing but staring into space. He clutches a laptop in his arms, a bag slinged to his shoulders. His hair is a bit messy, but in a nice kind of way. He wears a T-shirt with jeans, one hand in his pocket. And he is smiling, at no one in particular. It is a blank smile, a response to his thoughts, an inner joy, gladness in the soul. He is still as a rock, but his soul stirs, mind in overdrive; ideas and thoughts flowing through him. He is excited, his heart exploding with anticipation.

That man is a dreamer.

His mind races to the future, sprinting far, far ahead. His thoughts splits in several different directions, his mind spiraling and spinning at a rapid pace. He is lost in the future, in a world where the ground is jelly and the sky pink. Where anything is possible and nothing is unachievable. His body stands, straight as a tree, but his mind is ten feet above. He has transcended to the world beyond, a different dimension, a world of hope and wonderment.

That man is me. I am a dreamer, lost in my own thoughts, fuelled by faith and imagination alone. I see many things, yet perceive nothing. I dream of the path ahead, yet stumble on the stone at my feet. I look to the future, but have trouble staying in the present. I am fuelled by my imagination, and by the vision God has given me. That seed is germinating.

This is the motto I live by: “The greatness of a man is determined by the audacity of his dreams and the size of his heart.”

The process towards acheiving that dream is often painful. The effort and sacrifice which one will have to put in to see that dream turn into reality is enough to cause many to turn away, to cease dreaming altogether and languish in a world of predictability and boredom.

I am taking steps towards acheiving my dreams, steps which are painful, which requires a measure of sacrifice, of humbleness, and an outpouring of UNselfishness. In taking these steps I am stepping into a life where pain and suffering is a byword. Where one has to constantly pour out without expecting anything in return. I am learning to love people who are vastly different from me. People with different personalities, temperaments, and backgrounds. Oh it is so hard, but it certainly isn’t impossible! But the reward and fulfilment that flow out of learning how to love? Priceless.

A man with dreams but no heart is just a wishful thinker. A man with heart but no dreams is just a mindless worker, destined for a life of monotony and frustration. But a man (or woman) with both heart and dreams–he can change the world.

What kind of person are you today?