How to Make Your Dreams Come True

　This time, I’ll share my thoughts on making dreams come true.

People who stand in the way of fulfilling dreams

　When you’re striving to make your dreams come true, there are always people who say things like, “It won’t be that easy,” or “What if it doesn’t work out?”, or “What a silly thing to do.” Some say it out of jealousy because they haven’t dared to challenge themselves. Others mock it as unrealistic. Still others mean it as well-intentioned advice. The reasons vary. My mother rejected everything to keep her son from going down the wrong path. To her, it was kindness. She desperately kept rejecting everything because she was convinced it would never work out, trying to steer me toward a stable, ordinary path in order to ensure it would never work out. Whether that was good behavior or not isn’t the theme here, so I won’t touch on it.

Airplanes fly.

　I believe that making dreams come true is like flying an airplane.

The town where I live has an airport right nearby. I see planes taking off and landing on a daily basis, and I always think to myself.　

“How the hell do they get that hunk of iron to fly?”

　If you understand the principles of physics, you’ll grasp why it flies, and there’s nothing mysterious about it. However, without that knowledge, it’s astonishing that something so large, made of metal no less, can keep soaring high into the sky carrying people. After all, even a human’s weight limits how high you can jump.

　The sight of a massive, incredibly heavy lump of iron racing down the runway is truly awe-inspiring. It moves at tremendous speed. Yet, anyone seeing it for the first time would never imagine that this thing is about to take flight.

　I think it’s because we know airplanes can fly that we can watch them taxiing down the runway with peace of mind.

Similarities with Dreams

　I believe dreams are the same. For example, imagine a man who says, “I want to be a singer.” He steps onto the runway intending to make it happen. But the people watching around him don’t know he can become a singer. So, worried he might crash, they watch over him, saying things like, “You can’t do it, so give it up,” or “Can you really become one?” They see him standing on that runway for the first time, so they don’t know he can fly.

　The noise around him naturally doesn’t stop while the plane is taxiing down the runway. It won’t stop even after the wheels leave the ground. The plane flies low for a short while before beginning to climb. Then, like a function graph, it rapidly gains altitude. Seeing that low flight, someone will appear and say, “Stop it, you’re going to crash.”

View from the cockpit

to the runway entrance

　Seeing this from the cockpit view makes the image even clearer.

You are about to fly a plane. You slowly make your way to the entrance of the runway. This is about finding your dream, and just reaching the entrance is a tremendous task.

What is my dream?
What am I suited for?
What do I want to do?

After much soul-searching, you finally reach the entrance to the runway. By that time,

“You should become ○○.”
“You’re suited for ●●, so ●● is best for you.”
“Stop trying to be △△. You’re not cut out for it.”
“There’s no way you could ever become ▲▲.”

Signs pointing in the opposite direction of the runway entrance you actually want to use, or obstacles blocking the path to the entrance, are placed here and there.

You must proceed to the runway entrance without being fooled by such signs or obstacles, or letting your spirit be broken.

What to do at the entrance

　You finally reach the runway entrance and look down the runway. Here, you assess and determine which direction the runway is facing, how long it is, whether it is level, and if there are any obstacles or other hazards to watch out for.

　It is also a plan for pursuing your dreams, akin to keeping a clear path firmly in sight. If you just start running blindly, you might veer off the runway. The runway might curve along the way. There might be large obstacles impossible to avoid. Before taking flight, it is crucial to confirm in advance which runway to use and how to use it.

run-up

　Then you begin your takeoff roll using the runway. What you need here is resolve. The runway length is limited. If you dawdle, the runway will end before you take off. You must open the jet engines fully and accelerate decisively. There’s no room for hesitation or waiting to see what happens. Once you start accelerating at full throttle, reducing engine power or applying the brakes will only hinder your takeoff.

　But here you’ll hear all kinds of noise from different people.

“Can you really fly? I bet you can’t.”
“Probably not enough run-up.”
“There’s probably an obstacle ahead.”
“Is there something on the other side?”

　You can hear the voices of various people around you. Hearing those voices, you might feel anxious, wondering if you should ease off the gas or maybe hit the brakes. Those people are telling you these things because they care about you.

　Even so, the engine should proceed at full throttle. Because those voices belong to people who don’t know whether you can fly. They don’t understand the principles of physics. They are people who don’t understand why airplanes fly. They can’t believe an airplane they’re seeing for the first time is actually flying, so they call out thinking it’s dangerous. And they don’t know the runway conditions either. They call out saying there might be obstacles, even though they have no idea if there are any. Even though you’ve checked the runway far more thoroughly than they have.

　No one knows what lies beyond where you take flight. It doesn’t matter what happens. You’ve decided to fly. You’re going to see what lies ahead.

Voice from inside the cockpit

　Undeterred by such voices, I push forward with the engine wide open. At this point, you might hear a voice not from those around you, but from your co-pilot. They are family you share your livelihood with, or a cherished partner. Ultimately, you hold the control stick. But if you fail to take flight and an accident occurs, your co-pilot is on board and will share that fate with you. Their voice will sound different from those of people unaffected by whether an accident happens or not.

　Co-pilots can be divided into two types. One type is the one who says,
“Don’t worry about what others say. Keep going!”
and keeps the engines at full throttle alongside you. This type is incredibly valuable. They’re with you as one, literally supporting you as a shared destiny. You can keep the engines at full throttle with peace of mind.

　Another pattern is when they say things like,
“Should we ease off the gas?”
“Should we hit the brakes?”
They’re worried about you, but these are the words of someone who would be involved if you caused an accident. It’s not something you can easily ignore. Plus, this person is important to you. Someone you don’t want to upset. Hearing these words might make you hesitate.

　However, you must not forget that if you take flight, your partner will soar into the sky alongside you.

Resolve not to lose

　If you hesitate, you might not reach the speed needed for takeoff. If that happens, you’ll have to give up on taking off and stop. At that moment, those around you will say:
“I knew it.”
“See, I told you so.”
“I told you that would happen.”

　Even if you could have taken off had you not throttled back the engine. And they won’t take any responsibility. They won’t prepare a new runway, nor will they provide alternative transportation.

　People around you are irresponsible. They say whatever they want, confusing you. But when that confusion causes damage, it’s always “Your fault, right?”

　They know nothing of the principles of physics, nothing of the runway, nothing of what lies beyond takeoff. If you’ve decided to fly, you must have the resolve not to be defeated by such voices.

Takeoff

　And finally, the wheels lift off the ground. Takeoff. But we can’t suddenly climb at a steep angle. If we climb too steeply, we’ll stall and crash. We need to climb gradually.

　Even so, the irresponsible people around you say,
“See? Even when you fly, it’s just low-altitude flying.”
“You’ll never reach the open sky like that.”
“You’d better get back down to the ground soon, or you’ll fall.”

They keep saying things like that. By now, more people may be starting to hold out hope, telling you, “You might be able to fly.”
“Just a little more. Hang in there!”
You’ll probably hear voices like that mixed in too.

　What you must do is open the throttle wide. Keep your hands firmly on the controls. Keep your eyes fixed on the sky.

　If you can do that, you can take flight.

The person who takes responsibility

　When you try to make your dreams come true, there will always be people who laugh or mock you. Unfortunately, that’s something you can’t avoid. You have to soar through that situation.

　Airplanes fly. And there are people who have flown airplanes. It would be reassuring to have pilots around who know how to fly and have flown before.

　However, the plane you’re piloting might not fly if you’re worried about whether it will take off.

If you get scared that you might not take off and reduce engine power to about 80%, or if you try to change direction mid-takeoff by hitting the brakes, you won’t be able to take off.

　You hear all kinds of voices around you, but in the end, it comes down to whether you can believe in yourself. It depends on whether you can believe in the airplane of dreams you’re trying to fly.

　It’s your life. No one else will take responsibility for it but you.