Dare to dream, a must for all

Mclean Kwofi Business News Feb - 16 - 2016 , 10:58

It all started in January 13, 2007, when about 600 people gathered at the Osu Ebenezer Prebysterian Church Hall in Accra under the auspices of what has now become known as the Springboard Road Show.

Their presence there was simple yet promising; to inspire the youth into taking their lives into their own hands and working to meet their set goals.

Inspired by a dream of building a generation of leaders different in thought and actions from the present ones, Revered Albert Ocran and his wife, Mrs Comfort Ocran, set off to touch lives, nurture ideas and facilitate the growth of Ghana’s youth in a manner different from the traditional coaching strategies.

That dream, although small at the time, has given birth to series of activities that are now positively touching many lives, making changes and inspiring people into turning their dreams into ventures.

From a patron base of 600 at the maiden event in Accra, the Springboard Road Show has grown into a community of young adults, where many ideas are fertilised and dreams nurtured into businesses.

Ten years on, the road show has impacted over 120,000 nationwide with another 30,000 more lives expected to be impacted this year.

It has also given birth to many offshoots, including the Teenprenuership and the Festival of Ideas.

All these became possible as a result of the confidence of the pioneers, who dared to dream.

“All these mean that your dreams too can come true,” Rev Ocran said at the Tamale edition of the Road Show.

His message at the conference, ‘Dare to Dream, Lessons from Joseph in the Bible,’ was replayed on the weekly motivational show, Springboard, Your Virtual University, on JOY FM.

“We must dare to dream because Springboard started on a small dream and has grown over the years,” he said.

World changer

Expatiating on the need for people to dare to dream, Rev Ocran said daring to dream meant that one was aspiring to be a world changer.

“A world changer influences the course of history in a definite, meaningful and far reaching way. If you want to change the world, you must influence the course of history in a definite way. What it means is that it must be clear.

“Secondly, it must have meaning; there must be some meaning from what you are doing. The third thing is about impact. Whatever you do must have far-reaching consequences,” he said.

While admitting that it was good for people to have potential, he said, potential alone could not achieve results hence the need for people to work towards turning their individual skills into things that would benefit them and the society.

He said potential required some effort to be developed into something useful.

“Potential is futuristic and it is hidden. It is a prediction of the future that you can possibly achieve. So, when you sit in a conference like this, what we do is to tell you what you can possibly become – a big time entrepreneur or an accomplished corporate executive,” he added.

The Joseph side

Using the story behind Joseph in the Bible to make a case, Rev Ocran said everything in life starts with a dream, similar to Joseph’s life story.

The story has it that while in a dream, Joseph saw that the sheep of his family, which they were gathering, bowed to his.

That, he said, marked the beginning of Joseph’s triumph over his challenges and the turning of his potential into viable ventures.

He admitted that some dreams could be robust than the person involved but said it was like a picture that could be bigger than the person’s life.

“That dream you have is even something you should not even dare to dream because nobody in your family, community or country has ever thought of it, but this is just a picture of what you want to achieve.

“That picture is supposed to be like a woman who catches a seed. That seed will redefine you; the way you dress, walk and even your diet. So, everybody who catches a seed here from Springboard must ensure that when you go back, your life has changed to reflect the fact that you are carrying a unique seed,” he said.

He further urged the participants to be prepared for adversities as they happened to Joseph when he revealed his dream.

These adversities, he said, should not discourage the person into abandoning that dream but should rather inspire them into working to achieve it.

He advised them to continue to seek solace in God for guidance, strength and ability to carry through with their life plans.