Join Uncle Cyril and dream big, to achieve our goals

Uncle Cyril was on the receiving end of a lot of criticism for sharing his personal dream of a smart city full of skyscrapers and a bullet train during his State of the Nation address last week.

But he won’t get any flack from me – I’m right behind anyone who can dream big.

“I dream of a South Africa where the first entirely new city built in the democratic era rises with skyscrapers, schools, universities, hospitals and factories,” he said.

Does it look like an almost impossible castle in the air? Of course it does. But, remember, John F Kennedy also once dreamt of putting a man on the moon. Martin Luther King once dreamt of civil and economic rights for all Americans. Dreaming about something does not make it impossible or stupid.

Just look at some of the goals Uncle Cyril set during the same speech. He wants a South Africa where nobody goes hungry, the economy grows faster than the population, jobs are created for two million young people, violent crime is halved and 10-year-olds are able to read.

Those goals are as difficult to achieve as his dream of a mega city. But because we see the value of those goals, we buy into them.

We may not necessarily share the president’s dreams of mega cities. But today I urge you to join him in being a dreamer. Because dreamers envision things. And what we think, we become.

Two centuries ago, Jules Verne dreamt of incredible things such as submarines and video conferencing. Today those lunatic dreams are commonplace.

Of course, nothing worthwhile will come easy. It’s not as simple as merely dreaming it.

But lofty dreams help us to move past stumbling blocks. Dreams push you forward, naysayers hold you back. Dreaming may seem like an unprofitable waste of time. But it is the beginning of any real achievement.

True, setting goals and dreaming about reaching them doesn’t ensure that you will achieve them. But not dreaming is a guaranteed way to not reach any goals.

Don’t allow naysayers to laugh at you because your dreams are big. Dreams should be. And they should seem impossible. And scare you to death. Because that’s when you know your dream is worthwhile.

Dirk Lotriet. Picture: Alaister Russell

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