How Can You Dream When You Can't Sleep?

How can you dream when you can't sleep?

I grew up in a neighborhood where break-ins were common. You slept with one eye open. Sometimes it was just a rat knocking over a plate in the kitchen, but your heart jumped like someone was breaking in.

In that environment, dreaming felt like a luxury. Your only dream is to get out.

That hunger became my fuel. It is the same fire that pushes so many immigrants to leave home, navigate the unknown, and build a new life from scratch.

So if you are an immigrant struggling right now, and the brutal job market is wearing you down, and visa issues are keeping you up at night, remember who you are:

You survived what others would not. You left everything familiar for a dream. You learned a new language, culture, and system. You rebuilt yourself from scratch. You kept going when it got hard.

The stakes have changed but your strength has not. The same hyper-vigilance that kept you safe back then is the grit that will help you succeed now.

Do not overlook the battles you won to get here. You did not come this far to give up. The same power that got you here will carry you through what is ahead.

You are enough. You always were.