Finding Your Nemo

Closing Thoughts

"The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step." – Les Brown

I would like to dedicate the last chapter of this book to encourage and motivate you to no longer set off on chasing after your Nemo. To convince you that you need to leave your comfort zone and chase after your Nemo. To reassure you that it is never too late to set chase after your Nemo.

I would like to use the parable of the bags of gold as found in Matthew 25:14-25. This parable tells the story of a man who is going on a journey. Before he left for his journey he decided to give each of his three servants a bag of gold. The first servant received five bags of gold, the second servant received two and the third servant received one bag of gold. The first servant who had received five bags of gold used this gold to trade and he doubled the bags he was given. The second servant also used his two bags to trade and he too doubled his bags of gold. The third servant buried his bag of gold as he was afraid that he would lose the bag he was given.

What is profound of this parable is that each servant was given a bag of gold according to his own abilities. Each servant had the ability to use what he was given and turn it into something greater. There was no expectation that all three servants had to end up with ten bags of gold. The expectation was to only make more what they were given.

The significance of this parable is that God is the man taking the journey and we are the servants. The bags of gold are the dreams and ideals which God plants in our hearts. Dreams and ideals which vary in size and value but all given according to the receiver's abilities. Some of us were given a dream to start an international group of companies whereas another was given a dream to start a humble housecleaning business. Each dream and ideal is equally important and precious to God, no matter how small or worthless it appears to others. It is true that while there are some of us who use our dreams and ideals there are others who are afraid to set things in motion. They are afraid that they would lose their dream or ideal or that it would fail and they lose much more than their dream.

This fear prevents something great from making a difference in the world. This leads to hopes and dreams being taken to the grave, to books that are never written, songs which are never sang, inventions never shared with the world and cures which are never discovered.

The fear of failure is human. We need to come to realise that the dreams planted in our hearts are given to us because we have the ability to turn them into something great. We can turn one bag of gold into two bags, two bags of gold into four bags and five bags into ten bags. We can turn a dream of owning a coffee shop into one of the best coffee shops in the world. We can turn a dream of serving the best cake into one of the best bakeries of all time. But none of this can happen if we bury our bags of gold.

We need to take possession of our gold. We need to believe in ourselves and our abilities the same way God does. We need to see ourselves in the same way as God sees us, we need to have the same faith in our abilities as He has. We need to dream about ourselves just like God dreams about us!

There is good news for those of us who have always kept our dream to ourselves. Who have always felt or believed, or even made to believe by others, that you are not worthy nor able to turn your dream into a reality. The good news is that the Master had not yet returned from His journey, there is still time. As long as you are alive and kicking it is not too late to start! You still have the opportunity to share your book or song with the world. You can still make life easier with a brilliant invention or cure a disease with a cure you have discovered.

Joshua 1:9 reads that "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.". Marlin had no idea that he was going to make it to Sydney, nor that he would ever see his son again. But he took the first paddle anyway, he set chase after the boat. He had a passion, a driving force, he had motivation!

Whatever is stacked up against you, do not be dismayed by it. Remember that God is with you wherever you go. God has given you a dream and an ideal because you are capable to turn it into a reality. It is in your hands. You alone determine whether or not you are going to turn your bag of gold into two bags of gold or if you are going to play it safe and keep it hidden from the world. You alone determine your legacy. You determine what you leave behind for your children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Are you going to leave them in a world without your dream, ideals, hope, book, song, invention or cure?

Just keep swimming towards your Nemo and trust in God!

Safe swims!