FEATURE
Conquer Your Dreams By 3rd Engineer Jagadhees Thirumoorthy world-class at something but I did not know what that ‘something’ was. I had dreams for myself. One was to buy my parents a home; another was to become a seafarer and travel the world. I wanted to write a book one day. I wanted to become a motivational speaker. But in my early years, I lacked the courage and guidance to make my dreams come true.
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reams do come true. Without that possibility nature would not incite us to have them.
In classrooms all over the world, some stereotypical questions are asked to the students. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” “What are your dreams?” As the students stand up, they take turns to reply by shouting out diverse wishes: “When I grow up, I want to be a doctor” “I want to become a pilot.” “I want to be an Astronaut”, etc. I believe that teachers ask their students such questions in order to kindle their spirits and to encourage them to dream big. In essence, this is the most rudimentary form of goal-setting. However, if we were to track these children down the later stages of their lives, say in ten years’ time, we would discover that only a handful of them are actually living their dreams or have achieved what they said they wanted to. Why is there a huge gulf between these few who have everything they have ever dreamed of and the many that don’t? This question intrigued me early on in life. If living a successful life was so easy, then I am sure more people would be successful – be it, in terms of physical health, social status, financial independence or career. I was born in a small town and came from very meagre beginnings with no financial stronghold. My father worked as an ordinary fitter in a cement factory and my mother was a humble home-maker. Being the shortest and weakest kid in class I was often picked on and bullied by my peers, which caused me to suffer severe blows to my confidence. Somehow, I was very good academically; as well as at sports and extra-curricular activities. As a young lad, I wanted to be
By the age of 15, I had embarked upon on a journey of perpetual learning gleaned from reading well-written books. That decision was the single-most important turning point in my life. The books that I read taught me how to set goals. After an elaborate struggle I stumbled upon one discovery. I learnt that no matter where I came from, what my background was, that I could achieve anything I set my eyes on provided I was willing to pay the price of discipline. If I had to sum up in one word; there is only one trait that separates the successful and the nobodies of the world: DISCIPLINE. So I picked up a few disciplines such as getting up early, running in the morning, working out consistently at the gym, reading books, not wasting time, avoiding mindless TV and overuse of social media and abstaining from drugs or alcohol or anything that would deplete my mind or body. Years rolled by. As a result, I eventually ended up achieving my biggest dreams. When I became a sailor after graduation, solitude gave me a deeper understanding of myself and the time to explore the possibilities of my mind. By 2017, I had bought my parents a home and a car. I had become a public speaker – I have visited many educational institutions wanting to inspire students. I published my own book entitled “Conquer Your Dreams: A Sailor’s Diary That Will Propel Your Dreams to Reality”. I also accomplished many other secondary goals such as a learning the guitar, staying fit and healthy and marrying the woman of my dreams. To everyone reading this, I would like to say that if you have a dream, no one has the right to stop you from achieving it. You do not need anyone’s approval to live your dreams. You just have to believe in yourself and in your abilities to make your dreams a reality and discover your true potential. As the American politician Tom Bradley said, “The only thing that will stop you from fulfilling your dreams is you.” If I can do it, so can you. Whatever your dreams are, what are you waiting for? Go...Conquer Your Dreams! About the author Jagadhees Thirumoorthy is 28 years old and sails at the rank of Third Engineer with Wallem Ship Management. He has been with Wallem since his cadetship in 2011. Issue 2 2018
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