When we were in kindergarten, we were told that we could be anything we wanted to be. We could be a firefighter, a doctor, a rock star or even the president of the United States. We could dream and set our goals as high as we wanted with no objections. All of a sudden, we are grownups and it seems we are no longer allowed to aspire to be whatever we want. Now there are rules. Now there are people who will tell us we can’t do it. Now we get a reality check.
But what if we know what the reality of it is?
What if we already know that achieving our goals is going to be one of the hardest things we have ever done?
What if the last thing we need in this already pessimistic world, is another person saying we can’t do it?
My goal is to attend medical school after receiving my undergraduate degree, and work towards my M.D. in pediatrics. I know how challenging it’s going to be to attain this goal, but I’ve done my research and have made a plan for how to make it happen. So why is it so many people’s first instinct to doubt that I’ll do it?
“I’ve heard medical school is terrible.”
“It’s impossible to do well on the MCAT.”
“Do you know how much school that is?”
Fine. You’ve heard this and that, think this and that, question this and that; but there are enough walls to break down on the way to achieving this goal without someone building another with their negative comments.
So, the question is twofold: Why is this so many people’s first instinct? How can it be such a natural response to put down someone’s aspirations?
I’m not saying it should be an easy road. We should be more than prepared to work hard — it makes the journey that much more worthwhile and rewarding. But I do not believe that having high expectations of oneself is a flaw. Furthermore, I do not believe that “high expectations” are the same for everyone, and no one besides the person aspiring to reach them should be able to define what they are.
When I think of someone with high ambitions, I think of someone who is willing to do whatever ever it takes and work as hard as they can to live their dream. Their dream. Not someone else's idea of what their dream should be. I don’t think this world can have enough people like this, and when these people share their ambitions with others I think they should be praised rather than put down.
Next time someone tells you their hopes and dreams; their goals and aspirations, think of how it must feel to be told that you can’t do the one thing you want more than anything. Try to remember that it is not your place to determine whether those dreams are attainable or not. It is your place to praise them for their ambitions, and genuinely wish them the best.
Things have changed since we were in kindergarten. We used to be told that the sky was the limit; now we are being told to get our heads out of the clouds.
Well forget "the sky is the limit". I’m shooting for the moon, and I would like to encourage you to do the same—whatever that may mean for you, and regardless of what anyone else has to say about it.
