Wouldn't it be great if we could all just make a wish and instantly, all of our dreams would come true? That, however, is not the case. To find true success in life we must work, struggle, and endure. Dreaming is not enough, and a mere desire will not see us through. There's a story told about success and Socrates that helps illustrate this point.
Once a young man asked the wise man, Socrates, about the secret to success. Socrates patiently listened to the man’s question and told him to meet him near the river the next morning for the answer. The next morning Socrates asked the young man to walk with him towards the river. As they went in the river the water got up to their neck. But to the young man’s surprise Socrates ducked him into the water.
The young man struggled to get out of the water. He kicked, fought, and desperately tried to escape. But Socrates was strong and kept him there until the boy started turning blue. Socrates pulled the man’s head out of the water. The young man gasps and took a deep breath of air. Socrates asked, ‘What did you want the most when your head was in the water?” The young man replied, “Air.” Socrates said, “That is the secret to success. When you want success as badly as you wanted the air while you were in the water, then you will get it. There is no other secret.
We must desperately seek to achieve our goals. In order to produce results, we must do everything in our might to succeed. Often times we will feel much like that young man, like the world is pushing us down or holding us back. And it is in those bleak moments that our determination will direct our outcome. We all have it in us to dream of great things, but it is in our struggle where we prove ourselves. Bridge the divide between dreaming of greatness and accomplishing the impossible.
