By Josephine Sesay

In an age where cynicism trends louder than hope and skepticism are mistaken for wisdom, to dream is an act of rebellion. It may sound poetic even naïve to say that “the courage of a dream is the first victory,” but in today’s world of constant noise, curated perfection, and performative living, believing in yourself has become a radical form of resistance.

We live in a society that preaches authenticity while punishing those who dare to be different. Social media rewards sameness, algorithms suppress originality, and gatekeepers still guard access to power, creativity, and opportunity. Amid all this, self-doubt slips in quietly, whispering that you’re not enough not talented enough, not connected enough, not realistic enough.

But here’s the truth: your dreams are valid because you exist. Not because they make money. Not because they’re flawless. Not because the world says they matter. But because you matter the person brave enough to imagine something better, to believe in something bigger, and to act on it.

Every great revolution began with a dreamer. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed. Malala Yousafzai dreamed. Nelson Mandela dreamed. Even the young activist organizing a cleanup drive in your neighbourhood dreams. Real change does not begin in conference rooms or on trending hashtags it begins in the quiet conviction that the world can, and must, be different.

Yet too many people dim their light before it ever has the chance to shine. Why? Because the world taught them to mistrust their brilliance. We’ve been conditioned to believe that only the privileged, the powerful, or the “chosen few” have the right to dream boldly.

But what the world needs right now is not more safe, sanitized ambition it needs your messy, raw, inconvenient courage. It needs your poem. Your startup. Your painting. Your protest. Your innovation. Your compassion. The light you carry may be the spark someone else has been waiting to see.

The question is not whether the world will approve. The question is whether you will dare to answer your own calling before fear convinces you otherwise.

So, be defiant in your dreaming. Be unapologetic in your becoming. The first victory isn’t applause or validation it’s having the courage to believe in yourself when no one else does. Everything that follows is momentum. Let them call you unrealistic. Let them roll their eyes. But never, ever dim your light. Because if you don’t shine it who will?

Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Wednesday, 8th October 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)