Can't buy me dreams

A young man had been walking around the city looking for a job. After walking all day without any success in his search, he sat down underneath the shade of a tree. He brought with himself some papers, his inseparable black notebook, and a few dollars that were left in his pocket. It had been another long day and the sun was almost setting. Someone suddenly approached him:

“Who are you?” - Asked the young man.

“Hello, I am a mystical seeker. I’ve noticed you have been looking for something, so I am here to fulfill your wishes.”

The young man looked around, rubbing his eyes to make sure he hadn’t fallen asleep, and asked back:

“What type of wishes? And what would I need to do in exchange for it?”

“I will grant you any wish you may want. All I ask for in exchange is that you give me your black notebook.” - Answered the seeker.

The young man pondered, then replied that he would never give away his book. To that, the seeker laughed away:

“Why would you keep an old book and miss out on having all your wishes come true?”

“All of my dreams are in this notebook.” - Said the man.

The seeker considered the man’s words. Then, he promised to give him a small fortune in exchange for the book. The young man was annoyed:

“My dreams are not for sale. I know what I want, and I’m going to earn it. You, on the other hand… If you really have powers, why don’t you help others without asking for anything in exchange?”

So the young man walks away and goes on about his day, as he had to continue his job search.

The seeker did not move. This was the first time someone had refused to exchange something with him. He had taken many emotionally valuable objects along his journey, leaving many with their wishes but no sense of fulfillment. Then, he takes a black notebook and writes down the young man’s name in it.

After walking for many blocks, the young man decided to take a break and to check out which address he should go to next. As soon as he opened his notebook, several dollar bills fell down from it. There was $20,000 inside it. He was stunned. There was also a business card.

Feeling a rush of excitement, the young man decides to go to the address that was written in the business card. As soon as he arrives, the receptionist is already expecting him. She announces his arrival to the hiring manager.

The young man gasps. It’s the seeker from earlier today. How could it be? Was he nuts, had it been a dream? Perhaps this was all a big mistake… He decides to talk to the man:

“Do I know you from somewhere?”

“Have you forgotten about me already? I am the seeker, and I’ve been seeking for a hard working individual to join my company. I’ve seen you walking around for a few weeks now, and I can tell you are determined. I’d like to offer you a job.” - Says the hiring manager.

“I’d love to!” - The young man is in disbelief. “Sir, if I may ask, how were you able to put the money and the note into my bag?”

“Oh, you were actually so tired that you fell asleep for a few seconds.”

They both burst out in laughter and then went on with the interview and job details.

The hiring manager told the young man that when he was younger, he had a mentor. He had achieved many great things throughout his career, ultimately owning his company. He knew that without his mentor’s help, he could never have gone this far.

So he wanted to pay it forward and help others to succeed. As a seeker, he had found many ambitious people that he was able to quickly help. However, he had never come across someone with such a level of determination.

At the end of the interview, the young man wrote down the information he needed for his first day at the company. He filled out the last line of the notebook with words that outburst from his fingertips:

Dreams cannot be bought. They can be achieved.