Journal Week 2

This week, I found the need to re-evaluate my dreams based on the stage of life I am in now.  A I read “Stars and Stepping Stones, I felt like it was geared toward people who were just starting adulthood.  Part of the exercise was to look at what your life will look like at 30, or 50 or 70.  At the age of 44, looking at 30 is a long stretch backwards.  So, I’ve had to re-evaluate what measurements I can use in relation to my current life stages.  I believe I can still look at my life plans in increments, but perhaps those increments will be 5 years apart instead of 10. 

In response to the presentation by John Pausch, I think that he could accomplish so many of his childhood dreams because he actively worked toward them.  He solidified the idea, remembered them and focused on them.  In the transcript of Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, he talked about his main childhood dreams of writing an encyclopedia article, playing football for the NFL and being in zero gravity.  He worked really had to be a football player, and while he wasn’t a good fit for the NFL, he did learn a lot from his football training and loves the game still today.  When he found himself with a possibility to experience zero gravity, he pretty much bent over backward to find a way to make it happen.  When he was told the faculty wasn’t allowed to go, he found a way to be included in the journey anyway.  If it hadn’t meant much to him in the first place (or if he hadn’t already solidified it as a dream) he wouldn’t have been motivated to make the sacrifices or to do the work necessary. 

Keeping that example in mind, I feel it is important to dream.  My problem comes from not being a natural dreamer.  As a child, I rarely imagined myself as someone else or doing something out of the ordinary.  Imaginative play made me feel very uncomfortable.  I know, that’s very unusual for a child, but as a very shy child it was difficult for me. Playing house or dress up or Barbie’s was foreign and held no satisfaction.  Instead, I wrote reports and spent time alone.

I supposed that if I had to choose one childhood dream, I would have become a nurse.  My Grandmother was a nurse in the nursery at a hospital.  She got to care for and hold newborns every day.  I admire my Grandma and thought it would be a great career to have.  As I have grown older and gained life experiences, I found that I am incredibly interested in the sciences.  Unfortunately, my body doesn’t agree.  While medical treatments are fascinating to my mind, I get nauseous when I’m around open wounds and blood.  Instead of going into the medical field, I’ve chosen to use my technical talents to pursue a degree in business. 

Now that I’m grown, I know that I still haven’t done enough dreaming.  As I created my bucket list this week, I thought about so many of the things I want to do in life that are just ideas in the back of my mind.  I haven’t gone made the effort so solidify them as visions I can accomplish.  I have dreamed of traveling most of my life but have rarely gotten on a plane.  Why? Because it takes conscious effort and planning.  My husband and I get caught up in our daily habits and routines and rarely make plans for anything outside of the normal.  Because of that, I’ve missed out on experiences I could have had. Last March, my husband was called to a work assignment in Shanghai, China.  I could have tagged along and enjoyed that trip with him. Sadly, my passport had long expired and I couldn’t get a new one in time.   It was an opportunity missed because I wasn’t prepared.  I’ve since renewed my passport and I’ve expressed to my husband over and over my desire to travel. We are making actual plans for a trip to Europe in a few months.  Hopefully there won’t be more missed opportunities due to not planning for what could be.

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