Do you have dreams that have not come true yet? Do you ever share them with you? Yes, with you? Or you have become too afraid to even vocalise them in your mind? What fears or excuses have come in the way? Take a moment to ask yourself what you truly want in life. And to take a break from the seemingly hard work that thinking about your dreams is, ask what others around you have to say about their own wish lists. If you were to ask randomly your co-workers if they were happy, you would get a mix of responses. Some would be incredulous at your asking, some would laugh at your even pondering the question, some would take it with a bit of cynicism, while some would lie and say yes, and some would lie and say no, and some would tell you how they really feel. Now just saying things matters not. Words and sounds are just arbitrary arrangements within a context of your geographical location and the language you speak. What matters are the actions you will take based on the true feelings about your state of happiness. Many people say they already have what they want. And they’re not lying.

While it may be true for some, for most it’s an intellectual notion of themselves. It’s a natural way of maintaining our integrity, of bolstering up who we are and adding fuel to the fire that keeps our engines steaming ahead. Well, most of us believe we are making headway in life. It’s also called sour grapes at the most extreme end of it. At best of times, we have our families and loved ones to fall back to, we have our achievements to anchor ourselves in when the disturbing question of true happines comes up. We have our health, our academic successes, our careers, our community involvement, our money-making capacities, our bank balances, and our possessions. But what will it take to truly have what you want?

Wanting here is not just referring to acqusition of material wealth or experiences. For a lot of souls out there, wanting a better life is wanting to become better people; to become someone who doesn’t yell when they’re upset; to become someone who doesn’t get easily upset in the first place; to become someone who is feeling happy and overjoyed most of the time; to become a stranger to stress; to become less of a worrier and more of a creator of happiness; to become someone who can see at all times themselves as being enough and full of love and everything that they have ever wanted to find.

Each of us have different wish lists. And the truth that is as genuine as this statement is that we are all capable and deserving of realising our dreams. There is no shortage of stuff which dreams are made of. This sounds poetic, but it’s as real as the tough life statements that we are so fond of. We are taught from early age that life is tough. Being honest is tough and finding a path that is worth spending our lives in pursuit of has to be learnt; which is tough. And we quit when the going gets tough. We choose the untough way. When we fail at something or find something hard, we choose what comes “naturally” or what others see us capable of. And in the end we believe that is what we’re good at.

When we were children we were told what is possible and what is impossible. We were told what is allowed and what is disallowed. We were told who we are, where we belonged and what we needed to dream of. Even when seemingly the best of outcomes an upbringing can produce occurs, that is when a child grows to embody the dreams and hopes of his or her family and community, that man or woman may ultimately be unhappy.

We do not need to get tough. The going is never tough. For it is already within us what we are seeking to find. The answer we carry needs no question. It needs honesty to take ourselves as we are, as we feel, and as we dream.

As of today, take yourself as the source of everything you need to know and conquer in this life. Everything you want is within you.

Here are three ways to get started making your dreams come true:

1. Love yourself and be happy with who you are.

2. Open your eyes to your inner self to see through your feelings where you are truly situated in life.

3. Act without delay and do what feels right to get you where you want to be.

These three may seem simple. It’s because they are. It is simple to start making your dreams come true. What we usually do or others do it for us in a collaborative effort is to complicate things.

Uncomplicate your feelings and be who you are. The going is never tough. You are one second away at any given time from living your dreams. That’s how long it takes to look inside with honesty, gauge how you feel and act in accordance with those feelings and dreams. Do it now.