“But the ideas and goals that lay on the outskirts of my capabilities, on the fringe of my potential, and on the edge of my imagination… these are the impossible dreams that fill life with magic.”
What Is A Dream? What Makes A Goal Worth Staking Your Life On?
For years, I have thought relentlessly about these questions. I know what it’s like to be filled with a dream. It’s similar to how I would describe a possession. A beautiful and wonderful possession. The feeling of being consumed by a burning passion and enthusiasm for some higher ideal is perhaps the greatest feeling known to mankind. But not everyone experiences this.
Dreams are tricky. They are extraordinarily valuable and thus are exceedingly rare. If a dream is crushed, it becomes very difficult to find another. Finding a dream by searching for one is basically impossible. I believe that it’s not us who necessarily discovers a dream, but rather the dream which reveals itself to us. They whisper quietly, on the very edge of our awareness.
What I’ve Learned From My Own Dreams
In my life, there have only been a couple of genuine dreams that have possessed me. Here’s what I’ve found. My most foundational dreams are always things that seem impossible. Chasing after an impossible dream is the thing that fills me with the most enthusiasm. An impossible dream is the thing that makes life most worth living. The reason for this is that the impossibility of the goal forces me to become something more than I’ve ever been… or grow into something greater than I ever dared to think possible.
At one point in my life, I chased the dream of playing football at the University of Alabama. Now I’m chasing the pipe dream of playing soccer professionally, even though I’ve never played competitively in my life. It’s this chase of something out of reach that drives me. It’s what inspires me. An impossible goal makes life worthy of a story. These seemingly out of reach ambitions are what make me excited for each day. They fill me with inspiration when my alarm goes off in the morning. I can only describe it as feeling like I’m a character within a story that’s being written. Overflowing with purpose.
Aim Above What’s Easy
If a goal is within my reach, it lacks fire. It lacks depth and passion. Who needs ambition and motivation for a goal that is easily achieved? There’s no growth in that pursuit. There’s no inspiration either. If it doesn’t require all of me, then I will never be motivated to expend the energy required to attain it. If it doesn’t require me to be greater, then it’s not a dream. It’s a lie. It’s fake. It’s a lure that will lead me away from my true dream and potential greatness.
Traveling is within my reach, so it will never be my dream. Running a small business or working a cool job is within my reach, so they will never fill me with passion and inner fire. Simply dating a pretty girl is something I’m capable of and thus will never resonate with my soul in the way that a true impossible dream will. But the ideas and goals that lay on the outskirts of my capabilities, on the fringe of my potential, and on the edge of my imagination… these are the impossible dreams that fill life with magic. These are what turn life into a story filled with meaning and symbolism, depth and inner fire, purpose and passion.
So what is your Impossible Dream? What is the thing that lights you up inside and provides your life with purpose? I’d love to hear what story you’re living and how it fills your life with meaning.
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The Adventurous Mind 
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