Dream or Reality: Which one should we chase?

Dreams and reality are like the Yin-Yang. Opposite, but intertwined. You will find them mutually inclusive in extreme rare cases of extremely fortunate people. But, for normal people like us, we have to sacrifice one to get the other.

Why, you ask? Picture your dream; where do you see yourself? Relaxing in a beach in the Bahamas with a cold drink in hand, with the gentle breeze caressing your tanned fit body? Now imagine the cost of such a vacation and all the other horrendous logistics that go with such a vacation. You get what I’m getting at?

So, which one should we give more priority to? Should we open our mind gates and dream the wildest of our dreams? Or should we force our brain to be calculative and practical? After all, be practical and rational will pay your bills.

Being an IBAite, I can give a firsthand run down of my experience regarding this issue. Let me start saying that I’m a science person. From a very tender age, I dreamt of wearing a dazzling white lab coat tinkering with test tubes and what not. I wanted to be a ‘schientisht’. I wanted to be an innovator, someone who makes miracles out of nothing, one who tinkers with God’s creations and produce something that will help others. So, when I got selected in IBA, I had to wrestle with my dreams and reality.

It won’t be wrong to assume that IBA is a dream place for thousands of students and it should be, being the premier and best business school of the country, and one of the finest in the sub-continent. When I first got the news, I couldn't believe it myself. I thought someone made a mistake. On that crystallizing moment, it felt like a dream coming true; I was elated. I had to choose between my dream (studying science) and the reality (the opportunity to study in the best institute of the country). I chose reality.

But as time marched on, studying business became monotonous and non-rewarding. Don’t judge me wrong. I love IBA life. It has been a roller coaster ride with me screaming my lungs out in excitement. But, I was craving to study things that made sense to me. I loved everything in IBA apart from the academics, and this made me hate each exam and assignments. Right now, God gave me another opportunity in the name of Washington and Lee University where I can choose me ‘dream’ again, but if forced, I would have continued with IBA, maybe with flying colors albeit grudgingly.

I will not claim to know which one you should pick. Maybe it’s all about ‘priority’. You have to find out what’s most important to you and decide the course of action that best helps you further those goals. If self actualization is your aim then choose the things that will benefit yourself most. And, if you want to become a family man, or want to get established quickly, then make decisions in such a way that will aid you root yourself into the society quickly. My only advice will be to sort out your priorities, finding things that mean most to you and will make you happy. In the end, it’s all about being happy. You just have to find out which one does so: Your dreams? Or the reality?