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If I began to count the number of times I have heard people around me say, “That is WAY too big of a goal. People like us could never.” I would keep counting till the end of time.

As a kid, I would find comments like these discouraging. Today, I question them back, “Well, then who can? What do the people who can dream of such things look like? What do they do differently? Why can you not do that?”

The way people disallow themselves to dream – heartbreaking.

Shoot for the moon and if you miss, you will land among the stars.

I read this first in fifth grade. I will forever be grateful for whatever twist of fate made it happen. Because one, it was an excellent piece of advice to set me apart in a place full of ‘This-is-too-big-of-a-dream-for-people-like-us’ sayers; and two, I was 12 – young and naive and so, so, so impressionable. The timing was right and it moulded me well.

In fifth grade, I got lucky (well, I did write a whole piece on how it wasn’t luck but a combination of many latent efforts) and placed first in the National Genius Search Exam. I didn’t dream of it, I didn’t plan it – but because it had happened to me, I began to believe that big dreams, achievements, and victories are made for people like me. And I can have them all if I simply let myself dream.

So I always pick myself the biggest goals and hardest battles and the steepest climbs – because I knew if I could dream it, I could do it (Yes, I am a girl raised by Pinterest)

When I say this, I get a “But what if your big dreams don’t come true?”

My take is: If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. My job is to find things that matter to me and give them my 100%. And yes, it is a gut-wrenching, soul-shattering, heartbreaking defeat at times but this is life. I have mourned many dreams and lived some too. What I did learn is: You won’t win it all, but there’s always something up for grabs. Happy grabbing.

Another FAQ would be, “But Anshika, if I dream big I feel small. I feel overwhelmed. What about that?”

This is how I look at it today, as of Jan 3, 2023, at 12:55 AM: You don’t feel small with a plan. And you aren’t overwhelmed if you trust your discipline. Confidence is directly proportional to self-trust.

Eg: One might say they will exercise every day for a month but if they don’t have the grit to follow through on their own words, can they ever trust themselves for anything?

So that’s all from me on dreaming big. I think it’s quite addictive once you get a taste of it. I hope this piece motivates you to set some seriously amazing and out-of-league goal for yourself and then give it your all. And if things don’t turn out the way you desired, it’s okay. It’s all a part of our humanity <3

Don’t be afraid.

Signing off,

Anshika