👉🏻THEY SAY YOU SHOULD WORK IN SILENCE AND LET YOUR SUCCESS BE THE NOISE. I USED TO HEAR THIS ALL THE TIME, BUT I NEVER TRULY UNDERSTOOD IT—UNTIL MY OWN DREAM WAS SHATTERED BY THE WEIGHT OF OTHER PEOPLE'S OPINIONS.

TODAY, I'M SHARING THE STORY OF THE DREAM I LOST, AND WHY I'VE DECIDED TO KEEP MY NEXT ONE A SECRET.

👉🏻THE "DOCTOR" MASK: 10TH GRADE CONFUSION MY STORY BEGINS IN THE 10TH STANDARD, A CROSSROADS WHERE EVERY STUDENT IS EXPECTED TO HAVE A "VISION." HONESTLY? I HAD NONE. WHEN PEOPLE ASKED ABOUT MY FUTURE, I'D CASUALLY SAY, "I WANT TO BE A DOCTOR." I DIDN'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SURGEON OR A DENTIST; I JUST SAID IT BECAUSE IT SOUNDED PRESTIGIOUS AND EVERYONE ELSE SEEMED TO HAVE A GOAL.

BUT MY LACK OF PASSION SHOWED IN MY RESULTS. I SECURED A B1 GRADE. IT WASN'T A FAILURE, BUT IT CERTAINLY WASN'T THE RESULT OF A DREAMER.

✨THE SPARK: DISCOVERING MY FIRST REAL DREAM BECAUSE OF MY GRADES, I CHOSE COMMERCE. AT FIRST, I WAS LOST—I COULDN'T EVEN TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ECONOMICS AND ACCOUNTANCY. I SPENT MY 11TH GRADE DRIFTING, WATCHING OTHERS HUSTLE WHILE I WASTED TIME.

BUT EVERYTHING CHANGED IN THE 12TH STANDARD. A FEW SEMINARS ON CHARTERED ACCOUNTANCY (CA) SPARKED SOMETHING IN ME. FOR THE FIRST TIME, I WASN'T JUST STUDYING TO PASS; I WAS STUDYING FOR A PURPOSE. ACCOUNTANCY BECAME MY PASSION, AND BECOMING A CA BECAME MY FIRST REAL DREAM.

☺️THE TRIUMPH: 99.20 PERCENTILE I DECIDED TO GIVE IT MY ALL. I WORKED HARDER THAN I EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE. NO DISTRACTIONS, JUST PURE FOCUS. WHEN THE RESULTS CAME OUT, I WAS STUNNED: I HAD ACHIEVED AN A1 GRADE WITH A 99.20 PERCENTILE. I WAS ON TOP OF THE WORLD. I HAD PROVEN TO MYSELF THAT I COULD ACHIEVE GREATNESS WHEN I HAD A GOAL.

😮‍💨THE CRASH: WHEN DREAMS MEET DOUBT WITH THAT 99.20% CONFIDENCE, I STARTED DISCUSSING MY CA DREAM WITH PEOPLE AROUND ME. I EXPECTED ENCOURAGEMENT, BUT INSTEAD, I WAS MET WITH A WALL OF NEGATIVITY. "CA IS TOO HARD FOR YOU," THEY SAID. "YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO HANDLE THE PRESSURE."

BETWEEN THOSE DISCOURAGING VOICES AND SOME PERSONAL CHALLENGES, MY CONFIDENCE CRUMBLED. I LET THEIR "JUDGMENT" BECOME MY REALITY. MY FIRST REAL DREAM DIED BEFORE I EVEN GAVE IT A CHANCE.

👉🏻STARTING OVER: THE POWER OF SILENCE I EVENTUALLY JOINED B.COM BECAUSE IT FELT "SAFE" AND RELATED TO WHAT I ONCE WANTED. I SPENT MY FIRST SEMESTER IN A DAZE, FEELING LIKE I WAS BACK IN THE 10TH GRADE—AIMLESS AND UNINSPIRED.

BUT DURING MY SECOND SEMESTER, SOMETHING CHANGED. A NEW SPARK HAS IGNITED. A NEW DREAM HAS TAKEN SHAPE. BUT THIS TIME, I AM PLAYING BY DIFFERENT RULES. I'VE REALIZED THAT WHEN YOU SHARE YOUR DREAMS TOO EARLY, YOU GIVE PEOPLE THE POWER TO KILL THEM WITH THEIR DOUBTS. THIS TIME, I'M CHOOSING SILENCE.

I AM GOING TO PUT IN THE WORK. I AM GOING TO SWEAT, STRUGGLE, AND HUSTLE. BUT I WON'T SAY A WORD. I'LL TELL YOU ABOUT THIS DREAM ONLY WHEN IT'S FULFILLED. BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, I WANT TO LOOK BACK AND KNOW I GAVE IT MY 100%—WITHOUT ANY REGRETS OR OUTSIDE NOISE.

✨THE HUSTLE IS ON. IN SILENCE.

👉🏻✨This was a small story from my life that I've shared here for the first time. Normally, I write drama reviews and I will continue doing that, but today, I felt it was important to talk about this broken dream of mine.

A new journey is beginning now, and this time, the hard work will happen in silence. I'll be back very soon with my next drama review.

If you felt any connection to my story, please do follow me so we can stay connected. See you in the next blog!"