Dream. Dare. Succeed.

Courtesy: Rudo Loock

Hey there! Do you remember what your biggest dreams were as a child? Maybe you wanted to be an astronaut or a fireman, for example. Mine was to one day make it to the Olympics for swimming. Chances are that you find yourself in a very different position now than you thought you would be when you were younger (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing).

​The reality of our dreams is that they won’t all come true. Despite this, our minds are always flooded with inspiring dreams, and when you have a dream, you can chase it. So how do you make your dreams come true?

PHYSICAL ABILITY?

How many times have you looked at someone from head to toes and thought to yourself, “Life must be easy when you have genes like that.” Most of us (including myself) are guilty of doing this at least once in our lives. Yes, it’s true that some people are just naturally gifted in what they do. However, natural talent will only get you so far. There is one thing, above all else, that we need to excel beyond normal measures. We’ll get to that in a second.

First, let me tell you something about myself. I have been athlete for most of my life now and have always put great importance on my physical condition. The better condition your body is on the better you will perform, right?

Well, that’s a tricky question. As important as it is to be in exceptional shape to be able to perform at your best, it accounts for a small part of what makes people great. There is one thing that we all need that sets us apart from the rest. The ability to do whatever it takes to succeed. To do this, you have to follow 3 simple steps: Dream, Dare, Succeed.

DREAM

We are fortunate enough to live in a world full of great accomplishments. Social media has made it possible to share all these amazing accomplishments with our friends and family. However, all these amazing accomplishments would not have been possible if we didn’t have dreamers.

You see, for something to come into existence, you first need an idea, a dream. That dream is a goal you set for yourself to hopefully accomplish one day. We all have dreams and we would all like to make those dreams a reality. The bigger you dream, the more work it will take to make it a reality, but it is never impossible.
Sparks flying from mind

The most successful people in the world didn’t get to where they are today through chance. They had cosmic, almost impossible, dreams which they made a reality through hard work and dedication.

​Let’s look at some examples of the greatest dreamers the world has ever seen:
Bill Gates (Founder of Microsoft). He was a college drop-out and co-owner of a failed business. Yet, he never stopped chasing his dreams and today he is one of the most influential and successful businessmen in the world.

Albert Einstein. When he was younger he was unable to speak fluently which led to his teachers thinking he was slow. Did he let that get to him fulfilling his dreams? Heck no, of course not! He is seen as one of the greatest scientists and smartest people to have ever lived.

Jeff Bezos (Founder of Amazon). One of the richest people in the world, used to work at McDonald’s when he was younger. Instead of slacking off during holiday times, he used to work on improving his company. This has led to him becoming the richest man in the world today. Some of his closest friends thought he was crazy and would never succeed, but he didn’t let that stop him from becoming one of the most successful men in the world.​

DARE

​Can you imagine if these people allowed others and themselves to influence them negatively? How different and boring would our world be without dreamers? No technological advances, no cars, no going to the grocery store to buy food for the week.

The biggest difference between successful and unsuccessful people is mentality. Some say they can’t, while others say they can. Both are absolutely right. It’s all about your perspective on what is possible.

Sometimes life makes it difficult to chase your dreams and we end up procrastinating. We then tell ourselves something like, “Well, I guess it is too late to start now.” At the end of the day, you are the one that has to motivate yourself to get off the couch and start chasing. The best time to start, was when you first had your dream. the second best time to start is right now.

SUCCEED

All these people have found a way to make their dreams a reality. They were most certainly not successful on their first try. They just weren’t afraid to fail. We have to realize that there is no shame in failing. The only way to succeed, is through failing.
Woman picking up dumbbells

Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player to ever step foot on the court, is an amazing example of someone who wasn’t afraid to fail. He said: “I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I have failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

If you want to be successful in life, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes to make that dream a reality. It might take hours, days or even years for you to be able to sit back knowing that you have accomplished everything you ever dreamed of. You might not get it on the first try, you might not get it on the second try. Heck, you might not even get it on the 100th try. You just have to keep on chasing.

I cannot guarantee you will make all your dreams come true. The road to success is a long road with countless twists and turns and even more obstacles. It’s not supposed to be easy, otherwise everyone would do it.

I want to leave you with one very important thought. Remember, if you stop trying you will never succeed. But, if you get back up every time you fall, you become stronger and stronger mentally.

Life is like a tennis match. If you don’t get the ball over the net, you have no chance of winning. Yet, every time you do get the ball over the net, your chances of winning gets better and better one shot at a time.

Don’t ever give up on pursuing your dreams, no matter how many times you fail. You will fail, but that is after all the way to success.

​Dream. Dare. Succeed.

ABOUT RUDO LOOCK

Rudo Loock is a former elite swimmer from South Africa. His journey to America started at Florida State University, where he studied and competed. He learned valuable mental strategies during a difficult time in his career after battling a major injury. Following that, he had one of the best swimming years of his career. Alpha Mindz (www.alpha-mindz.com) is a community he created to help struggling athletes overcome obstacles.