We often hear people say to “dream big,” but what does that actually take? Is it passion, resilience, or the determination to keep believing in your vision even when things constantly fall apart?
Who is Dr. (h.c) Jennifer Lim PN?
Dr. (h.c) Jennifer Lim PN is the founder of Thy Dreams Matter Pte Ltd, a business coach, social entrepreneur, dream achiever and a member of A Good Space. She has worked across multiple industries, including law, insurance, early childhood education, wedding planning, coaching, marketing, and business development. She leads initiatives that encourage individuals to discover their purpose, pursue their dreams, and create positive change.
Every Dream Starts Somewhere
Jennifer’s story began at 21, when she started volunteering with Beautiful People, a volunteer initiative supporting youth at risk. That experience shifted her perspective and eventually planted the seed for what would become Dream Big Singapore. What started as a personal interest in using dream boards to visualise goals slowly evolved into something much larger. For Singapore’s 57th birthday, she led the creation of 857 dream boards, and for Singapore’s 60th, she set her sights on an even bigger goal of 6,000. But what struck me most was not the milestones themselves. It was everything that happened behind them.
The Reality Behind the Dream
Jennifer spoke honestly about the setbacks she faced while trying to build her initiatives. One story that stayed with me was about a large-scale banquet event she had planned, where people would gather, eat, and create dream boards together. It was something she deeply believed in, but the event was cancelled at the last minute, resulting in financial losses. Listening to her speak about it made me realise how easy it is to admire someone’s achievements from the outside without fully understanding the risks, disappointments, and sacrifices behind them.
She also shared about periods of financial struggle, including a point where she had zero dollars in her bank account. Hearing someone speak so openly about that kind of hardship felt unexpectedly raw. Yet even while talking about these low points, she spoke with a sense of resilience and certainty that I found difficult to ignore. There was never a sense that she viewed herself as defeated. Instead, she treated setbacks as something temporary.
Another thing that surprised me was how nonlinear her journey had been. Over the past two decades, Jennifer has moved across industries ranging from law and insurance to early childhood education, wedding planning, coaching, marketing, and business development. In many ways, her path seemed unconventional and even unstable by society’s standards. But listening to her speak, it became clear that she saw every transition as a form of exploration rather than failure. It made me reflect on how much pressure young people place on themselves to have everything figured out early in life, when growth is often far messier than we expect.
Lessons from Jennifer
At the same time, she offered a candid perspective on the mindset of our generation. While many emphasise passion and happiness, Jennifer challenged the idea of leaving a job as soon as it becomes uncomfortable. She believes in the 80–20 rule. If 80 percent of a job fulfils you, you learn to manage the remaining 20 percent. Growth, in her view, comes from staying long enough to learn. Her advice was simple. Get hired, stay for at least a year, then decide your next step. Without building real value, she questioned whether it is realistic to expect rapid progression or higher pay.
Beyond careers and finances, Jennifer also spoke about relationships and support systems. One point she emphasised was the importance of being interdependent. Relying entirely on others can be risky, but trying to carry everything alone can be equally exhausting. Instead, she encouraged finding a balance where people are able to stand on their own while still allowing themselves to lean on others when needed.
Final Reflections
By the end of the session, what stayed with me was not a single piece of advice, but the honesty of her journey. It was not polished, linear, or perfect. There were failures, uncertainty, financial struggles, and moments where things did not work out. Yet despite all that, she continued to rebuild, adapt, and keep moving forward.
In many ways, that made the conversation feel far more impactful than a typical success story. Jennifer reminded me that dreaming big is not just about vision or ambition. Sometimes, it is about having the resilience to keep starting over, even when life does not go according to plan.
To follow more of Jennifer’s journey, you can find her on Instagram at @jenniferlimpn. You can also learn more about her work through Dream Big Singapore and @dreambigsingapore on Instagram. Her linkedin can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-lim-pn/ and her Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferlimsg/
This is part of a series called People Behind Purpose, where we sit down with changemakers in A Good Space to discover more about their work, build deeper connections, and gain fresh perspectives on creating social impact.
Through these conversations, we hope to share our experiences, reflections, and key takeaways so that others can be inspired by the journeys and insights of those driving change in our community.
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Written by Ye Weixuan – [Programmes and Community Engagement Intern]
