dream of the impossible, start with the possible

Back in elementary school in 5th grade we had a science fair.

I was partnered with one of my best friends at the time and I clearly remembering sitting down at my house to figure out what our project would be.

We threw a few ideas back and forth until we came up with what we thought would be nothing short of spectacular, guaranteeing us the top score.

What we envisioned was demonstrating the power of magnets by rotating a globe much as the earth revolves each day.

We were pumped, we were ready, we were…stuck.

Yes, we knew what we wanted but we had absolutely NO IDEA of how to make it a reality.

We were 5th graders (with no Internet, which would have been a big help) with no knowhow.

We tried this and that…but it was no use.

Our dream ended as quickly as it started.

In the end we did a study of the effects of various things on eggs. Yippee (that’s sarcasm by the way).

Neither of us had any passion for it but we had run out of time and I still remember that we were rushing to get it finished the morning of the fair.

So…cute story, right?! What does this have to do with success?

Well, as my title states, “dream of the impossible, start with the possible.”

While our dreams should act as a guide for us, we have to start somewhere and that somewhere is with things that actually work.

Leonardo Da Vinci dreamed of the helicopter hundreds of years before its maiden voyage.

The technology to bring the helicopter into existence at that time simply didn’t exist.

It was the combination of numerous technological advances that finally allowed the helicopter to become a reality.

So many people get carried away with their dreams (like we did) that they skip the most fundamental stage – the planning.

It is during this stage where you must evaluate the costs and time involved to bringing it to fruition.

Sometimes it’s simply not worth it. Sometimes it’s not even doable.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try, but we must weigh the pros and cons of doing any task regardless of whether it’s building a new company or a science project.

Let your dreams inspire you, not seduce you.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering who won the fair, that would be another friend.

A perfect score for his research on rice.

Guess you can’t win them all.

Adrian Shepherd