PIONEER

Pioneer: pi·o·neer /ˌpīəˈnir/

Develop or be the first to use or apply (a new method, area of knowledge, or activity).

At first glance, it seems simple enough. A pioneer in his/her field. Inspiring enough. Oh to be a pioneer!

S/He is a forerunner!

An icon!

One in a million!

True. True. And true.

But you know what else is true?

A pioneer is also set for failure later on in life. For his/her work to be labeled as flawed, weak, even undeserving of its success. For it to be overhyped and torn apart by people who have since seen better and improved renditions built upon the foundation laid.

It takes immense effort and bravery to try and become the path blazer. But it taken even more courage to follow through. One needs to be audacious. To be fearless. To be blind and deaf and foreseeing all at once. Great sculptures aren’t built with that one last stroke of the hammer. The ones that came before have been lost, but not without accomplishing what they had intended to.

It is not easy to continuously be washed over by waves of doubt, of self-realization that the dream envisioned by them might be too fantastic to realize.

To be told over and over again that it is not practically possible for their projects to succeed because of already established logistics.

Because the current world only measures your success via your social media presence.

When nothing seems to support your vision.

When no one seems to understand the passion.

When doubt seems to have become your constant companion along with regular visits from fatigue and ‘What the hell did I get myself into?’ or ‘Should I pursue something else?’

When an overwhelmed brain and a fatigued body seeks a break. A break which stretches into weeks, sometimes months. And when they do return, it is by the sheer strength of that unbreakable will which is the core of their being.

They might be multitalented. From among the blessed few who might choose any other career and in all likelihood, be successful in it. Yet, for them the path they have chosen to walk on is the only one they care about.

It is not easy being told in no uncertain terms that they might be ‘wasting their talent’. Who wants to hear that what they are pursuing is a mistake? A waste of time? That their efforts are better utilized elsewhere?

To formulate something groundbreaking, one must be willing to first break the ground beneath their own feet. To fall untethered into the unknown. To break and rise, then break again and rise, and once more, and again, and again, until the time when they rise, they cannot be broken down except by the Will of their Creator.

Kingdoms can be conquered in a day.

Empires can be expanded over time.

But dynasties take everything that one might have so that the future generations might benefit through it more than you could ever during your lifetime.

The Pioneer lays the foundations of a kingdom, might expand it into an empire, and envisions a dynasty. No wonder they need to be little bit crazy to achieve this.

So…are you willing to be a Pioneer?