Reaching for dreams
We all have our own life to pursue; our own kind of dreams to weave.
And we all have the power to make wishes come true, if only we have the courage to pursue them.
Sadly, for some people, their dreams will always be out of reach. But others will dare to follow their dreams and suffer all the pain, sacrifice and self-doubt arising from an abrasive world, before succeeding and living happily.
Phisit Pratheepnumpapon was once a salaried worker. But he had the courage to reach for his dream of being an entrepreneur, and he now believes the end result is well worth the effort.
Phisit combined his sporting interests with his ability as a business manager. He saw that the number of people playing futsal [indoor soccer] was rising sharply as the small-field version of football became a popular trend, so he hatched plans to build a futsal arena to serve this demand.
He ran his futsal-arena business alongside his work at management consultancy APM Group, and while this was a pleasant time for him, he knew the time was approaching when he had to burn his bridges with the corporate world and give his time completely to futsal. These days, he is happy running his futsal arena - called 94 Futsal - in the beach-resort town of Hua Hin.
"It was a big while before I decided to leave the company. But, you know, if you shilly-shally, you will never smell success," he says.
His dream has since come true. His "94 Futsal" - one of the most modern futsal arenas in Hua Hin - is now becoming popular among the local people. But that is not enough. He wants to make the arena a new sports destination for Hua Hin.
"It's not easy, but it's worth a try," he says.
With all the challenges he may face, Phisit says he is willing to fail before he turns 40.
"Fail fast, find success sooner," he says.
"I don't think failure means quitting in utter collapse. It's just making some mistakes along the way to success. Failing fast means not being afraid to make mistakes. Let people know you're in start-up mode. If you dare to dream, you must dare to pursue it, and your must dare to fail," he says.
Sasikarn Watthanachan is a communications professional.
She may be contacted at [email protected].
