Watching the happy faces of the German players after they had won the World Cup, I thought back to my childhood. Once I had dreams of being in their place, enjoying the emotions that they had been experiencing. I too had wanted to be a World Champion, to score the winning goal and to hold up the Cup for all the world to see.
Yet here I am, sitting at home, watching the television and realizing that most of the players on the field are younger than me. The dreams that I had in childhood never came to fruition. I think about it and imagine how close I had been. As a kid, I had been playing with similar types of players, outrunning them, outdribbling them, outplaying them… Even now, I have some basic prerequisites, which are better than theirs. I can confidently say that I am faster and stronger than most of the players that are on that field in Brazil. Yet here I am and they are there.
How did this happen? Growing up, we had different values in the family. Sport was seen as a good way to complement your life, not live it. The primary focus in our family was always given to studying. I played a lot of sports (especially focusing on basketball and track), but the primary goal was always seen as being good in academics.
I kind of regret some of the choices I had made in the past, but you cannot go back now. We can only move forward. I also had a lot of other hopes, dreams and goals, besides sports, that did not work out. I can’t do anything about that now. I can only move forward.
So I form new goals, ones based on the current circumstances. There are little goals, which are achievable with just a little effort, and there are some secret dreams that will require a lot of hard work and luck.
Don’t fret too much about the past. What is gone is gone and cannot come back. Instead focus on the now and the future. Where are you now and where do you want to be in the future?
These dreams can still come true. The good thing is that now you have a higher probability of your dreams coming true. You have a lifetime of learning behind you. You live and learn. Now you can look at what types of dreams you had, and why they did not come true.
You are wiser now and can prevent these mistakes from happening. That is why you are closer to achieving the dreams that you make now. Think about where you want to be. Imagine your secret dreams. Now imagine the path you need to take to achieve them.
Continue on dreaming, that is what life is about. Hope dies last and you should continue on holding on to your dreams until they come true.