Warsameh H
Close your eyes, and ask yourself what is the importance of having dreams? Why should we work hard for something when we can just take it easy and enjoy life. To answer such an abstract question, I believe we must all first ask ourselves what such dreams and hard work mean to us. What does a dream mean to me, and why have I come to believe this? Personally, I have come to believe that dreams are a big part of our lives. Dreams help us define what we believe in, and in like manner, I believe that dreams give us purpose in our lives. One that we that we can relentlessly purse with passion and drive every single day. My dream is a clear reflection of what I believe in, and one might go as far as saying that my dream is an actual manifestation of them as well. Throughout the three years that I have been a student in Abaarso School of Science and Technology, I believe that I can say that I have found what my goals and ambitions are in my life. This is all because I found what my dream was. Before I started going to school at Abaarso, I was an overweight, unsocial, and inexperienced boy. Moreover, the fact that I never had an older brother led my family to keep me safe at home from the challenges a boy my age would face in Somaliland. But just like any other normal country, Somaliland is a peaceful place where most of the problems kids face are either bullying, or loneliness. Nonetheless, I was different. Even at a young age, I was always searching for something. I wanted to have passion and desire to achieve something that would make my life worth living. Reflecting on my past today, I think I found what I was searching for all those years. And that is my dream which I believe in, and I will never give up on pursuing it. Looking back, I would never have found what my dream was if it was not for the lessons I learned from working hard. Although hard work comes with many prices, I believe it is our truly honest guide to the path of fulfillment.
Dreams are what form the basis of a person’s beliefs. To demonstrate, let us say that your dream is to be well known and famous all over the world. In accordance with our dreams, we believe that fame is very significant in our life. The dream of becoming famous is what gives us the belief that gaining fame and renown is important. In effect, the fact that our dreams revolve around our beliefs is important to note. For our beliefs are what make us unique and different from other people. My beliefs today are shaped by the dreams that I have gained over the years. Now the question comes up, “What do you believe in smarty?” Well I believe in hard work. I believe that tenacity, discipline, and meticulousness are the most important traits that a person can have. If someone is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve something, then I believe that they can do it no matter how difficult the task is. When I first came to Abaarso I only knew how to play soccer, because that was the only sport we could play at the time. Yet, I really did not love playing the game deep down. It was just something all the cool kids played, so I played as well. One day, in my first term as a ninth grader, some of my close friends at school came to me and told me to come play basketball with them. I refused at first but after sometime I agreed because I did not have something better to do. Oh how I vividly remember that day. On the first play of my first basketball game I ended up dislocating my toe. I was on crutches for a month. During this time, I kept asking myself why I had been feeling so distraught. That is when I realized, I was so out of my mind because I could not play basketball. What, basketball? The reason why I could not walk like a normal person for a whole month. Yet I missed playing it. I then understood that playing basketball was what I loved doing most in the world. After I got better, I played basketball every single day. I was terrible at it at first, and I am also pretty short for basketball standards, standing only at 5’9 even today. But I did not let the critics to get to me. I kept working and working on my craft until I became one of the best players at my school. Basketball taught me that height, talent, none of that matters, I believe that it is the work you put in that defines who you will be in your life.
Imagine that you are in a dark cave, with no ambient light in sight. You do not know where the exit is or where you want to go. This is what I believe life is when one does not have ambition. It is an inescapable dark cave when you do not know your purpose in life. My dream is what gave my life meaning, it is what gave my life purpose. After finishing my tenth grade year at Abaarso as the Student of the year in my class, I started to think about what I wanted to do with my life. I remember thinking about one of my friends that I grew up with. He had big dreams and big ambitions, and sometimes I would laugh at how crazy he sounded. He wanted to invent something new to change the world. But, at the end of our eighth grade he had to drop out from school. His family could no longer pay for his schooling, and they needed him to make a living for them. Seeing someone work so hard at something, and then just throw it away because of reasons they cannot control, was truly saddening to me. That is when I decided that I wanted to help my country for the better. I want to provide opportunities that are not available for the younger generation of Somaliland. Because those that are willing to do whatever it takes to succeed have the right to have a chance. From then on, I began working harder and harder on my academics and athletics. Striving to learn more and to be more. I give all the credit to my dream, because it is what gives me the purpose I have today. Nonetheless, you must work really hard to achieve anything that is worth achieving.
Tim Notke once said, ” Hard work beats talent when talent does not work hard.” I remember first hearing this quote as a ninth grader. I thought, ” Man I really disagree with this quote.” This was because I refused to accept that a hard working person can only beat a talented person when that talented person does not work hard. I believe that with hard work no matter what, anything is possible. I then made my own variation of the quote to constantly remind myself of my belief. It goes, ” Hard work beats talent, experience, and odds.” Now hard work is not easy at all. Working hard is about having patience, perseverance, and a will to achieve whatever you are trying to achieve no matter what. A person must be willing to sacrifice many things for the sake of working hard. I can definitely attest to this. Waking up early to get a quick basketball workout in, distancing myself from distractions, and studying when I could be having fun are some of the many sacrifices that I have had to make in my life. However, I never regret sacrificing any of what I have mentioned so far. This is because working hard has really made me the mature and responsible young man I am. It is necessary for all of us to dedicate ourselves to working hard to achieve our dreams.
In my eyes, dreams are extremely important in our lives. Dreams give us goals to pursue with heart and compassion that give our lives purpose and meaning. They define what we believe in and who we are as people. Accordingly, working hard is necessary if we ever want to achieve those dreams. And from that hard work, we are able to build our character. From the countless sacrifices we make to work hard, we are able to test ourselves because we ask ourselves the question, “Do I really want to chase after this dream?” These questions and reflections to ourselves helps us understand who we are more, and I think this is very important. Having dreams is very important to me and without a dream, I believe I am not complete as a person. I deeply believe that all dreams are attainable if we are willing to work hard enough, for hard work beats talent, experience, and odds.