Video: Sheikh Mohammed reveals how friends once laughed at 'sand castles on water' dreams

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice-President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has often been called a visionary leader - and rightfully so.

Over the years, he has shown that the UAE is truly a place where impossible feats are made possible. His vision and innovative way of thinking, which has established Dubai as an ultra-contemporary city, began at a very young age.

Posting under the hashtag 'Flashes of Leadership' on Instagram, Sheikh Mohammed on Friday shared that he and his friends used to play on the seashore when they were younger.

While his friends built sandcastles on the beach, Sheikh Mohammed tried to build them on the water. His friends laughed.

"I now take them to see the Palm Islands," the Dubai Ruler wrote.

The Palm Islands are some of the world's largest artificial islands, comprising Palm Jumeirah, Deira Island and Palm Jebel Ali.

The snippet from his younger years speaks to Sheikh Mohammed's ambitions for the future. "We must have a clear and unified vision for the future," he says. "We must persevere to ensure further development in order to combat poverty and ignorance."

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