I love Africa and I love being African. But, having grown up as a young girl in central Africa in a country then known as Zaire, I also know very well the challenges facing my beautiful continent. Lately, I got to wondering a little bit about the issues facing Africa and my mind wandered further into the area of dreams. As I reflected, I got to realize that dreams are one of the things in which we as Africans fall short. Many of us, if we’re to be honest, just don’t dream big things. We don’t think of owning multinational corporations or of being regional and global influencers or of shaping the culture. We could get into all kinds of discussions about why, generally speaking, we don’t dream big. But that wouldn’t be very helpful.
Instead, here are a few reasons why it’s important for you to dream big:
- It’s good for you. This may seem silly but the reality, according to generally accepted medical wisdom, is that when you have a dream and are hoping for something, it fills you with energy. An energized person is likely to live longer than someone living in despair
- It’s not just about you. When you look at many of our grandparents and even parents who lived under colonial rule, their view of life was that going to school, getting married then having a decent house and kids was success. Very few thought of success in a transgenerational sense. When you have a big dream, it will benefit not only you but generations to come
- You were designed to dream. You have always had dreams but it’s quite possible that the influence of people around you, your background or the circumstances of your life have gradually worn your dream down. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dream of doing great things. Regardless of who laughed at you, who said no to your idea or how little money was in your pocket to get things going, it’s never too late to kick-start things again
- Africa is desperately in need of dreamers. There is so much despair, hopelessness and negativity on our continent. It would be fine if it came from outsiders but the sad reality is that a huge amount of the bad vibes come from us. We are our own worst enemies. Not the West. Not lack of money. We need people who will dream big dreams and raise Africa from the place that it’s in until we are a respected powerhouse again. In case you didn’t know it, Africa was once renowned for its wealth and influence. If you don’t believe me, read up about the Mali Empire and Mansa Musa I of Mali. He is recognized as the richest man to have ever lived and he was African.
Big dreams are crucial but on their own, they don’t go far. You need to couple them with focus, resilience, diligence and the various other ingredients for success. But the seed is the dream.
At 1Africa, our firm belief is that God is the source of our dreams and He gives real meaning to our lives. A relationship with Him allows us to get over fear and stop chasing false dreams so that we can truly become all that He ever wanted us to be. If you would like to hear more about God and what the link is between Him and the pursuit of our dreams, please click on the banner below.