Saving lives, designing feasts, and dancing in the spotlight. This is the power of a dream

What does it take to achieve a dream? For some, it’s a matter of sheer luck. For others, it’s a lifetime of sweat and tears. But one element characterises the people who fulfil their aspirations: commitment. Paulo de Valdoleiros, Musa Motha and Siphokazi Mdlankomo are three such dreamers who never gave up. 

From a young age, Paulo de Valdoleiros wanted to become a doctor. But his parents couldn’t afford to pay for his studies, so for years he dabbled in different careers. “It was evident that I wasn’t happy,” De Valdoleiros says. At the age of 45, that all changed. “I decided I’m not going to die without even trying.” After fighting his way into medical school, he graduated one month before his 51st birthday. 

Sometimes passion requires dogged pursuit. While employed as a domestic worker, Siphokazi Mdlankomo sharpened her culinary skills in the kitchen. “That’s when the love of cooking started,” she says. After 15 years of working for others, Mdlankomo resolved to chase her talent and entered MasterChef South Africa. She didn’t win the culinary contest, but it set her on a brand new trajectory. “I had dreams of having a cooking show,” Mdlankomo says. “That came true.”  

Musa Motha dreamt of being a dancer. But as a child, he lost his leg to cancer. That couldn’t stop him from performing. Motha battled through negativity and breakdowns, constantly pushing himself to master the artform. Today, he’s danced on the world stage, his crutch a part of the performance. “Every time I want to do something, I do it,” Motha says. “What you believe is what is going to happen.” 

Achieving our aspirations can take an incredible amount of willpower and dedication. But as De Valdoleiros, Mdlankomo and Motha prove, it’s always worth it.