Dare to Dream

 During my studies this week, I learned about Randy Pausch, a man who not only dreamed big but actually made many of his childhood dreams a reality. One line from his famous lecture stood out to me: “Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted” (Pausch, 2007). He had tenacity and was determined. He faced rejection and setbacks, but he didn’t let them stop him. Instead, he learned from them and kept pushing forward. That combination of determination and the ability to grow from failure is powerful.

Mark Twain once said, “Without dreams and goals there is no living, merely existing, and that is not why we are here.” I believe dreams are glimpses of untapped potential. When we chase them with persistence, they can become reality. Sadly, in today’s world dreaming seems to be fading. With so many distractions and short-lived pleasures, we often lose our sense of creativity and adventure. But dreams are essential. Without Dr. King’s dream of equality, where would we be today? To dream is to believe in something better than what we currently have.

One of my childhood dreams is to fly a plane. Not only do I believe I can achieve it. I believe I must. I owe it to that adventure filled boy. You might wonder how flying a plane could possibly change the world. My answer? Look at Randy Pausch. One of his dreams was to experience zero gravity. That experience didn’t change the world in a massive way, but it changed his world, and inspired others. If I accomplish my dream, maybe I can inspire someone like me; someone who forgets that they have great potential and that they can do hard things. That’s how the world gets better little by little, one person at a time.