Be Realistic…But

When we are children our imaginations and creative desires are unlimited. We go from wanting to be a UPS driver one day, to an astronaut the next. We want to be a professional athlete or dance on Broadway. There is no profession or dream out of reach. The world, and the rest of our lives, is a chance for us to realize these dreams. As we get older, reality sets in. The dreams we had when we were younger seem out of reach— they seem impossible. We are told to become more realistic. We are told to strive for achievable goals. Our creative desires that were once unlimited, become very boxed in. Our imaginations run dry based on being “realistic.” In life, we should be realistic, but we should never lose that childhood spirit of making the impossible, possible.

If you are 5 foot 9 inches tall, it is realistic to say you will probably never be a professional basketball player. If you have a nursing degree, it is realistic to say you will probably never be an aerospace engineer. If you do not speak Spanish, it is realistic to say you will probably never found a company based in Peru. Realism is a reality check we need to check ourselves and understand what is worth dreaming about. Being realistic does not mean we set easy goals. Being realistic means we set a plan for how we can reach the goal. Realism enables us to take the imaginary, abstract goal, and construct a path forward. Realism does not make our desires any more achievable, but it gets the journey started.

By working in the realistic world we are able to consistently improve and chip away at the “impossible” goal. This goal can be as “impossible” as we desire, but by basing it in reality, we know there are steps we can take today to get us one step closer. Then we just need to compound our progress until we ultimately achieve what we seek. Our childhood creativity emerges because we still dream big and dream large, we just base the dreams on the reality of life. Never lose the childhood energy, but become realistic about what is worth focusing on. Rewrite the script, don’t confine yourself because society tells you to.

Be realistic…but dream big.

Be realistic…but push the boundaries of the possible.

Be realistic…but don’t stop until you achieve.

Be realistic…But…