Lesson 1 Dream It and Achieve It	Reading

Dream Big and Achieve Your Goals

You are 17 years old. A wonderful age! Like all young people, you are full of hopes and expectations. At this important time in your life, I’d like to tell you about two people who realized their dreams.

Put Your Dreams on Paper

It is a common practice among successful people to write down their dreams on paper. They make lists of dreams and put them where they will see and read them often. They will put them under a glass cover on their desk or carry them about in their pocket so that they will be constantly reminded of the goals they set for themselves. The following story is about John Goddard, an adventurer, explorer, and writer. In 1972, he was featured in LIFE, a famous American magazine, as a man who achieved his teenage dreams.

One rainy afternoon in 1940, sitting at his dining room table, the 15-year-old Goddard hit upon a plan. He wrote “My Life Goals” on a sheet of paper. Then he wrote down 127 goals for himself. Some of the items would be relatively easy to achieve, such as visiting the Great Wall of China and joining the Boy Scouts. The list included other goals that involved excitement or adventure, such as sailing around the world and flying an airplane. Showing a strong interest in exploring unknown places, Goddard also wanted to set foot on the moon and climb Mt. Everest.

What made John Goddard record his dreams on paper? He remembered that a friend of his dad’s regretted not doing all the things he wanted to when he was John’s age. He thought, “I never want to miss an opportunity to do things that I dream of.” He carried the wish list everywhere he went and tried throughout his life to turn his dreams into reality. When LIFE introduced Goddard’s story with the title “One Man’s Life of No Regrets,” he had already realized 104 of his list of 127 dreams! He had carried out a number of adventurous explorations, including the first solo kayak trip down the length of the Nile River and standing on the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Your Enthusiasm Will Pay off

Can only people of unusual talent achieve their goals? Certainly not. Thomas Edison, the great inventor, once said, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” The famous Korean ballerina Kang Sue Jin is a case in point.

Kang Sue Jin fell in love with ballet at the age of 14, a very late start for anyone who desires to be outstanding at the art. At the age of 16, she entered the Monaco Royal Ballet School where, at first, she was very anxious because other students performed far better than her. To master the necessary skills, she practiced for 15 hours a day. Her enthusiasm for ballet made her practice the moves hundreds, even thousands of times, until she perfected each one. In 1985, her constant effort helped her win the grand prize in a famous international competition in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Sue Jin’s toes became out of shape due to the long hours of hard work. Although her toes may look ugly, many people say they are the most beautiful feet in the world. Sue Jin has said, “Put all of your energy into any goals that you want to achieve. Success comes only as the result of a long and painful process.”

Limitless dreaming is a privilege of the young. Your dreams, however, are not something to be caged in your mind. Without recording them somewhere, they may end up as nothing more than wild fantasies. Of course, recording your dreams is not enough. You also need to make a plan and make every effort to achieve your dreams. That enthusiastic effort will become the driving force to help you overcome the difficulties that challenge you in the course of achieving your goals.