You work hard to make your dreams come true, yet, the results you are getting don’t match your expectations.
You are questioning whether chasing your dreams is worth it or not.
You may even be questioning yourself, pondering: “Maybe I’d better give up, and listen to what other people tell me - i.e. be REALISTIC”!
Many people give up on their dreams because they don’t have enough reasons.
But, reasons come first, results come second.
Reasons are the fuel that enables us to withstand the challenges and the naysayers that show up during the pursuit of our dreams.
So, before you make rash decisions and you give up on your dreams, let me share with you a true story that maybe will inspire you to never give up on your dreams.
If you give up, it’s over. But if you don’t give up, the day will come when you’ll be glad you didn’t give up. - Masato
It's a story about courage, perseverance, and faith.
It shows how having BIG REASONS is a game-changer - the springboard to make your dreams come true.
THE MAN WHO MOVED A MOUNTAIN
This is the story of an ordinary man called Dashrath Manjhi, from Gehlaur, a remote village in northern India.
The village was isolated and without basic services.
Thus, Manjhi and the villagers had to walk every day to the neighboring village to go to work, school, to the market, and to the hospital.
“What’s wrong with it?”, you may ask.
Nothing, if it wasn’t that a 300-foot tall mountain stood between them and all the basic facilities they longed for.
Manjhi and the other villagers had to trek over an entire mountain every day.
They had to cover 70 kilometers along treacherous paths to get to their destination.
Needless to say, such an arduous route caused numerous accidents over the years.
In 1960 Phaguni, Manjhi’s wife tripped on a loose rock, and injured herself; Manjhi had an epiphany, “enough was enough”.
“That mountain had shattered so many pots and claimed so many lives. I could not bear that it had hurt my wife. If it took all my life now, I would carve us a road through the mountain”. - Dash Manjhi
Seeing his wife in pain and tears was the catalyst that led Manjhi to make a decision.
He decided that he was not going to wait for anyone to solve his problems, i.e. the mountain; he was going to do it himself.
He would cut a path through the mountain so his fellow citizens could access doctors, schools, shops, and jobs.
No one else would suffer what his wife had endured.
He promised himself he would make the mountain collapse in the same way as the mountain had caused his wife’s fall.
HE CUT THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN WITH JUST A HAMMER, A CHISEL, AND A CROWBAR
Manjhi bought a hammer, a chisel, and a crowbar.
To afford them he had to sell his goats, which meant a lower income for his family, but he did it anyway.
From 8 am to 1 pm he used to plow the fields, whereas, from 4 am to 8 am he used to carve the road through the mountain.
He would hardly sleep.
Do you think he was nuts? You are not the only one 🙂
EVERYONE TOOK HIM FOR A FOOL
Words spread far and wide and people tried to discourage him from pursuing what became his life goal and what was considered IMPOSSIBLE.
How on earth can a single man with a hammer, a chisel, and a crowbar cut down a mountain?
“You cannot do it! You will die in your attempt! Be realistic!”, people used to tell Manjhi.
But, his commitment and determination were stronger than “the noise” around him.
He turned a deaf ear and kept cutting the mountain.
Then, when his wife fell ill and died due to the lack of medical assistance, Manjhi became even more determined to finish what he had started, and grant his fellow citizens a better existence.
And guess what?
HE PROVED EVERYONE WRONG
He kept chipping away, and chipping away, moving closer and closer to his life goal one day after another.
He would often get hurt by the rocks falling from the unyielding mountain, yet, he persevered and never gave up.
He would rest and then start again.
Then, at last, one day, Manjhi broke through the last thin wall of rock and walked into the other side of the mountain.
It took him 22 years of hard work and self-discipline to cut down the mountain, but he made it.
He made the IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE.
You can see the road he made, which is 25 feet high - i.e. over 7 meters; 30 feet in breadth - i.e. 9 meters and 360 feet in length - i.e. 110 meters.
Where before there was only a rock wall, now there is a path that connects Manjhi’s village to the neighboring ones and which is used by hundreds of people to reach hospitals, schools, markets, and other essential services every day.
What used to be a winding 70-kilometer long journey is now only 5 kilometers long.
Grateful, people began to call him ‘Baba’, the revered man.
Despite Manjhi's death in 2007, his feat will be remembered forever.
Nobody will ever forget the man who “moved” the mountain.
He has become an inspiration for the entire world.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
When you have a BIG reason, a BIG WHY for which you MUST achieve your goal nothing is IMPOSSIBLE, not even breaking down a mountain.
You are ready to do whatever it takes to go above and beyond what you think you are capable of.
Manjhi declared that his love for his wife and the desire to make his fellow citizens’ life better were the driving forces that supported him in his impressive feat.
“Reasons make the difference in how your life works out. Reasons make the difference in your appetite and zest for taking on the challenge, doing the job, becoming successful”. - Jim Rohn
When you have enough reasons you can get through the most difficult day, you can overcome the most unbelievable challenges, like Manjhi.
My question to you is:
Do you have enough reasons for fighting for your goals?
In other words, why do you want to achieve your goals?
Why do you want to build your own online business? Why do you want to get in shape? Why do you want to build great relationships? Why do you want to become a successful coach?
Bottom line: dreams and goals can become magnates, provided you have enough reasons. The bigger the reason, the stronger you will be pulled towards your goals.
How can we come up with a reason that will make our success inevitable?
Let’s make sure our achievements can benefit not only us but also our fellow human beings.
As Manjhi had a purpose that involved other people’s lives - to move the mountain so that his people could benefit from it - so we too had better find a purpose that goes beyond our own interest.
Let me give you a few personal examples:
Why did I start my online business?
Because I want to avoid being stuck in a place. That would allow me to support my family whenever needed, without having to ask my boss for a holiday.
Another reason for which I started my online business was that I wanted to have a positive impact on other people’s lives through the products and services I endorse.
Why did I start writing the posts you read?
Because I wanted to inspire as many people as possible to pursue their dreams, to go all-in and not neglect them, because I believe dreams are worth chasing.
“It is better to risk starving to death than surrender. If you give up on your dreams, what’s left?”. - Jim Carrey
Now that you are aware of how important reasons are, I have another question for you:
What are the implications if you don’t follow through?
In other words, what happens if you give up on your goals?
How would your surrendering impact not only your life but also other people’s?
If Manjhi had given up, there would still be a mountain to climb and many more lives could be put at risk.
So, anytime you feel like giving up, remind yourself of your reasons and purpose for which you cannot afford to quit, and like Manjhi you’ll become relentless.
What’s more, like him, you may become a source of inspiration for others and change people’s lives.
“When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place”. - Paulo Coelho
So, if a single man was able to move a mountain, there’s no excuse for you not making your dreams come true.
Make a covenant with yourself that you’ll never ever give up on your dreams.
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Fantastic story! Manjhi was a believer 🙂
I agree with you Mikolaj, the story of the man who moved a mountain is fantastic! Anyway, Manjhi was more than just a believer, he was a man with a strong reason for succeeding in his life goal no matter how big the mountain was. Manjhi was driven by such a powerful purpose that he could not but make the IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE.