Sometimes cheesy quotes have a really important message if you can take the time to really dig in deep and think of the greater context.
A quote that I have had etched in my brain my entire life is "Shoot for the Moon, even if you miss you'll still land among the stars." This quote has been echoed to me for years from my father. As a kid, I didn't think much of it. It was just a cool quote that I would hang on my wall, or get painted on a mug. It wasn't until now, as a sophomore in college, that I've fully come to terms with how important this quote is and how much of an impact it has had on my life.
Let's break down this quote a bit. When you hear "Shoot for the Moon" you think of dreaming big, being adventurous, and never stopping until you reach your goal. This quote urges you to never settle. As long as you have a dream, it is worth pursing, but it goes further than that. Shooting for the moon means shooting for things that you may want without fear of anything getting in your way. It means that even the craziest of dreams are worth pursuing. Don't succumb to people who may try and rationalize your dreams and say that they are too outrageous. Everyone has the right to dream and dream big, as well as put forth as much effort as possible, no matter how crazy or ambitious your actions may be, in order to make your dream come true.
Now let's look at the second half of the quote, "even if you miss, you'll still land among the stars." Instead of looking at this second half of the quote as "settling" for the stars, I choose to believe that landing among the stars can be just as great, if not better, than reaching for the moon.That is because I choose to believe that the stars are other dreams and accomplishments one might reach on their path to reaching for the moon without even realizing it. Just because you may not achieve your ultimate goal, or your highest dream, doesn't mean that you failed. You have the opportunity to achieve different goals on your path. Or, if things don't go as planned, you may find comfort in the stars once you realize all that has happened on your quest to shoot for the moon. It is okay to dream big, and it is okay to fail. Sometimes you might not be able to achieve what you thought at the time to be your highest goal, but little do you know that there is an even better goal to be achieved as a direct result of your failure.
As cheesy as this quote may be, I urge you to keep it in mind the next time you don't get that internship you so desperately wanted, or that A+ on that research paper you spent hours on, or the next time find yourself heartbroken by the person you so deeply cared for. Even if the end result isn't what you wanted initially, look for the "stars" that may be surrounding you without you even knowing. Use this idea to continually propel yourself forward to shoot for the moon. If you strive to be the best you can be, you can't go wrong.
