At some point in your life, someone – probably a high school guidance counselor, a teacher, a mentor of sorts – has probably asked you, “If money wasn’t an issue, what would you do with your life?” And you most likely responded, become “an astronaut,” or “a firefighter,” or, “a dinosaur.”
A yahoo snake-oil salesman in the late 18th century pushing potion from the back of his Conestoga opened-up crowds with this line. Today, your answer to this question rarely sheds insight into your career calling or life ambitions.
Here’s a better way to think about it: Without a penny to your name, how would you put food on the dinner table tomorrow night? Now, let’s have an honest conversation about your life goals.
~Young Impact
Filed under: Survival Entrepreneurship Tagged: | ambitions, life goals, youth entrepreneurs, youth entrepreneurship
My question is this: When do our goals become less about dreams and more about reality? Entrepreneurship is all about transporting impossible dreams into the realm of possibility–for both the creator and the consumer. The ipod, the laptop, the telephone, the lightbulb…all of these creations seemed unrealistic at one point in time. Inventors were probably met with the same looks of confusion and disapproval as today’s children are met with when they express their dreams of space travel or dinosaur play.
It seems that–as generations have passed–the adult mind has become less and less imaginative. Entrepreneurs of the past constantly tackled impossibilities, whilst today’s entrepreneurs typically build upon what is already possible. Why? Why is it bad to think new, dream big? Why do we shake our heads at our children when they stray too far from realism? If entrepreneurs could revisit their childhood minds, we would likely see a surge of new ideas and not just modifications to old ones. Or–even better–we could raise a generation of YOUNG entrepreneurs. Youth who have not yet lost their inventive and imaginative ways. I truly believe that the next big wave of ideas and change will be inspired by young minds–many of which will be influenced by Young Impact.
Thank you. Truly a fantastic insight. Initially, youth must be given the concrete tools to turn dreams into realities. Motivation is only a fraction of the equation. The remaining challenge is to teach the action-oriented steps. Please continue to post your thoughts!