Dreams

Lessons learned: I’m learning that to live a good and meaningful life means setting goals that have boundaries, to keep me focused and grounded. It also means working hard, re-evaluating often and adjusting plans as needed. Though my goals and directions may change, my belief system and my guardrails must be solid. Those are what keep me on the path to my destination of who I want to become.  I feel like I’ve been building those guardrails all along this journey of life. I’ve had challenges and tests that have helped me see where my weaknesses lie, and I’ve had to strengthen those areas continually. I feel confident in my guardrails, those things that I will never do to compromise my course, and those things I will always do to ensure a straight path. Now I’m ready to name some stars and determine my steppingstones.

§  Why do you think Randy Pausch was able to achieve so many of his childhood dreams?

I believe Professor Pausch was able to achieve so many of his childhood dreams because he started early with his dreams and he was passionate about them. He wrote them down and planned ways to achieve them. With every “brick wall” he hit, he figured out a way over, around or through it, to get him on the other side and back on his way. He showed determination, hard work, perseverance, focus, drive, and faith in his dreams.

§  Do you feel that dreaming is important? Why or why not?

Where are we without a dream? Yes, dreaming is important. Dreams help us determine our desires and then we can set goals and plans for achieving our goals and living our dreams. Without an initial dream, we have no focus and no drive for life.

§  Discuss at least one of your childhood dreams. Explain why you believe you can or cannot achieve this dream.

I had a dream to be a ballerina. I love dance! I took ballet, tap, jazz and clogging lessons as a child. I was in a children’s performing group. I was on the dance team in high school for a year before moving to another state where there was no dance team. It was then that I began to lose sight of that dream. I don’t know if I ever let my parents know I wanted to be a ballerina. I’m sure they would have done everything in their power to help me. I never wrote it down to make it concrete, and certainly set no goals to fulfill my dream. Life has passed me by so quickly that the light of my dream of ballet has faded and nearly gone out. I don’t believe in it anymore. It’s sad to say that and my heart feels a little heavy when I do, but I shrug and say, “oh well.” I’m 38 years old and don’t see myself starting now. My life has been full of other fulfilling dreams-come-true and it’s been wonderful. Ballet is just one of those things that make me sigh and wonder, what if.

Lessons Not Yet Learned:
*It really does take LOTS of hard work to plan and create the life of my dreams.
*How to get over ALL the brick walls.