Thursday, March 11, 2010

Aspirations

Please react to the following questions in a fluent, concise, and thought-provoking response. More than anything, I want these to be honest and from the heart. Think about it and let it come out. Make sure you write with solid conventions and answer each question:

A few summers ago, I was at the Crytal Cathedral in Anaheim, California. A quote that always resonates in my head, hung on a giant cement wall asking, "What dreams would you dream if you knew you could not fail?"
Now, realizing that life is a lesson in failures and mistakes and they teach us about adversity, perseverance, growth, what have you-imagine, that the sky is the limit! The fact is we NEED to dream, for today tomorrow and everything in between.

What would you achieve if you knew you could not fail? What are your dreams, hopes, aspirations for life? What do you long for? How can those dreams be attained? What happens if you don't achieve them?

21 comments:

  1. The first thing I would do, knowing I would not fail, is graduating from college with a degree in nursing. I would then pursue a speciality in neonatal care. In the meantime, I would marry a great guy with great aspirations and goals. A guy that doesn't obsess with materialistic things, and has the same values as myself. We would then travel around the world, where I could help with the premature babies, or even just help the doctors. After a couple years of traveling, we would come home and start our family. I want my children to have dreams in life, and an aspiration to be somebody. If I had to pick something that I couldn't have, I would choose the traveling. Even though I would LOVE to see the world and have those experiences, to me, a family and being around and helping babies are more important to me.

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  2. If there was one thing I could do without failing it would be to have a successful future. This does not mean grow up and have all the money in the world or have everything I want, but I want to grow up and have a family and have a job that I love to do. This might include some money or personal possessions but if not I’m okay with that. The only way this is going to happen is if I stay focus and keep my mind on course. Also after the whole family and job thing happen I would love to travel and see the world. One last thing i would want to do is I want to do something to help people I enjoy being a lifeguard because if something happens I will have the knowledge to help. All in all I want to do something I love with a family I love and help people along the way.

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  3. What would i do if i knew i could not fail? I have actually thought about this question before. and i know the place i want to get, but im not sure how to achive my goal just yet. I want to live on a tropical island somewhere in the pacific ocean and have enough room in my house for as many frineds and family i could fit. i want to travel to every counry and afford the finest of things. I want to snowbaord six months out of the year and surf the other six, and i want to be able to afford it with no worries. I want to be able to help others achive thier dreams, and i want to focus on living a life that is spontaneous adventurous, and full of mystery. I want to wake up in the morning and not know where ill end up, wheather it be across hall to across the world. I want to do it with the people i love. I want to be rememberd for changing the ideas of greed and violence in to peace and comprimise. I want to die knowing i have changed my world for the better and i did it all while experiancing everything that the world has to offer.

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  4. I could not fail, I would travel the world relentlessly and just get a better understanding of how life works. I would travel mostly alone so that my opinion of the world and how I see it is through my eyes only. And after searching every nook and cranny the Earth contains, I'd pick which cranny had the most to offer, whether that be in the mentality of it's people or the impact I could make, and I'd live there. I would try an surround myself with individuals that I enjoy being around and ones that I would grow from just spending time with; as well as a wife I can learn from and kiddos. If I could not fail I'd also like to be fluent in a billion different languages, being able to communicate with just about anyone would be convenient. I'm not quite sure yet on how I want to impact the world, but I am aiming for a good one, one where I can help other people and be a beneficial human being. This is quite a lot to ask for, and I probably won't ever know what all of the world looks like because that would be quite a feat and I may become fluent at 2 languages at best, but I think I just have to have an optimistic view, determination and a will to thrive and I'll accomplish as much as I'm capable of.

    I'd like to experience zero gravity.

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  5. What on earth WOULDN'T I do if I knew I could not fail!! Being that this is a radical statement, naturally I have some radical responses. First and for-most I would possess the ability to survive all alone, not that I desire a life all alone, just the ability to survive w/ only the resources around me easily and happily is what I desire. Also, I would love it if I could influence the world to live as such. So that a common knowledge is existing, and the ignorance to survival that has corrupted our generation due to technology and provided-goods will no longer thrive, and given something detrimental happens to society, we will possess the ability to survive. But on a more personal note I would love to travel back in time and live with Native Americans, and experience the life style in its true-essence, without the corruptions of the American government conflicting with beliefs. Also this is driven by the desire to live w/ out cars and 6 billion freaking people in the world. And I’d be the illest lyricist to exist. My dreams and aspirations are to live a life of peace, uncluttered simplicity, and absolute happiness. Have a family, learn about the things I love and am interested in, and just keep educating myself; knowledge is power; and wisdom keeps that power in line. I will not settle with not attaining happiness, being alive makes me happy enough anyhow.

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  6. If I could do anything and know that I could not fail I would travel all around the world non-stop. I would help the less fortunate countries and I would get different views on life. I would want to see different cultures, the different ways people live and the different ways they see life. My dreams, hopes and aspirations in life are to be happy when I grow up. I want to be with a person that I absolutely love and I want to love what I do. I want to be a psychologist so I can have a better understanding of people and so I can help them. My dreams can be attained by staying focused on the positive things in life and the people who bring joy to my life. I can't let people or situations bring me down and I cannot dwell on the bad things in life. My dreams of happiness will be attained no matter what because I will always focus on the things and people that bring joy to my life and I will settle for nothing less than happiness.

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  7. If I could do anything knowing that I would not fail, I would not only choose to lead a successful happy life complete with a career I love and family but to also travel the world and see how other cultures live differently, I would try to share our American customs with them and in return learn to live their lives as well. I would choose not to be caught up in today’s technology or other unimportant things that play large roles in our lives. Of course, it would be very nice to have money and be able to afford whatever I want including materialistic items, and never have to worry about finances. But,even if this didn’t happen I would still be happy and satisfied with my life knowing that I always give 100% effort and never give up on my goals and to understand that money doesn’t create happiness and to realize that you’re always fortunate with either how much or little you have.

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  8. Honestly, I really am not 100% for sure what I would like to do with the rest of my life. Of course I want to graduate college with some sort of degree and go on to live a successful life. I've always been interested in architecture or design so maybe my degree will be somewhere in that area, who knows? I definitely want to have a successful life though. But that doesn't mean I want all the materialistic things possible in the world. Sure, it would be nice but it's not always necessary. Another thing I hope for is to have a nice family. After settling down it would be awesome to explore the world. Many people have already said that in this blog but I as well believe it would be neat. Just like the girl in the story Mrs. Comp told us on Friday, I think that if you are happy and content with life, then you are truly successful.

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  9. If I could do anything and know I wouldn't fail a lot of thinks come to mind. Mostly I would want to travel the world to help people who are less fortunate then I am. I would help them in every way I could. I also would want graduate collage and become a nurse practitioner. I want to be successful, be married with someone who I'm in love with and cares about me. I would want to have a family that I can support and make happy. Money isn't whats most important to me it would be more then helpful to not have to worry about the money part of life but I know if I am happy other then that then money wouldn't matter. In my life my parents have always been able to get me what I need. I have been very fortunate, although they don't just hand things to me I have always had to work towards what I want even though I didn't technically need to. They have thought me that things you want don't get handed to you and you have to work at being successful in life and that is exactly what I will do to achieve my goals.

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  10. If i couldn't fail, I'd do as much as possible. I just want to be successful in terms of having a happy content life, being in love, and having an occupation that I love therefore not having to go to "work" but go to something I'd enjoy and not fail at. In my lifetime, my parents have always been there for me and gotten me what I want. Sadly though, I feel as if i am being bought items for love. Are my parents happy?-Absolutely. Am I happy?-Not yet. I need to have that ability not to fail in order to have a definite answer to my happiness, sadly I must work a little harder and breath a little heavier in order to achieve this. If i couldn't fail, I'd probably do mission trips all over the world, helping kids, because their smiles would reassure me of my inability to fail. In my lifetime, so far, I know I have failed in areas and I am aware of the fact that i was successful in others. But if i had the inability to fail at anything, maybe I wouldn't have been to summer school twice...then again i wouldn't have made the friends i did. If i couldn't fail, I wouldn't learn. Although it'd be a nice ability to have, I think I'd pass. I need to learn somehow, someway... and people who fail in other ways, I succeed in others. Therefore we help each other and build off of each other. If none of us could fail.... we'd all be millionaires and it'd be a black and white world.... luckily we have the rainbow of failures and successes though.

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  11. I dream of the South. I've spent summers deep within the secret, quiet town of Jefferson, Texas. This is where I wish to live, with my bosom friend, Shelby. There, we would refurnish her Mamaw's small home that sits on the corner of one acre of thick, green grass. We want to create a home that relfects old times- times that held truth, comfort, and love. I dream of awaking to the sun softly glowing through the curtains. The Southern sun, the southern warmth, the southern mositure hanging in the air- the southern dream. Shelby and I would sell fruit at a stand off the highway next to our home. Everyday would be an encounter with strangers that soon became friends. We would pop cherry tomatos in our mouths as we laughed and talked under the small shade provided by the tent at our stand. We would simply live. Our home would be filled with music. Always. Sunday mornings we would dance while we made banana pancakes; a tradition since our shared childhood. We would nestle into a quiet routine of daily house keeping from early mornings to late afternoons, sprinkling in some of our favorite activities throughout the week: Eating lunch at the Brown Pig, a bike ride around the victorian homes down town, quilting in the living room, walking barefoot down to the old bridge where we would watch the fire flies....I dream of a southern life.

    I dream of living without desiring much. I dream of warm, purple nights swimming in the lakes not far from home, beneath the layers of stars. I dream of secret paths between sypress trees. And I would climb these giant trees, long into my adulthood. And there, I would read my bible. I would watch the sun fade into the tree line, and through the twilight, I would run home; my long hair twisting in the soft, southern wind. Shelby and I would watch an old favorite movie of ours when I got home. We would both sit on our 60's patterned couch with a patchwork quilt covering our bar legs, and we would quote the whole movie through, laughing at the parts we laughed at so many times before. Just before sleep, we would open our bibles together. We would hold hands, and pray, thanking God for a friendship like ours.

    I dream of painting in the sunrise. I dream of homemade peach jelly and freckles on my shoulders. I dream of southern storms, and a southern breeze slipping through the cracks of all the open windows in my old house. I dream of one telephone in the kitchen and one small television in the living room that was used for movie nights.

    I dream of living a life where the outside world stops at the outskirts of our small, lost town. If I knew I could not fail, this is the dream I wish to live.

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  12. Well in life I like to try everything! I might fail but that never stops me. I believe life is too short to just try things you know you will succeed at. My dreams and hopes is to travel the world to see and experience so many different things and to help people in so many ways. I long for everyone to have family, friends, love, and happiness. My dreams can be attained by me never giving up, trying everything, and always having a big heart. If I don't achieve these I will still be trying!

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  13. If I knew I could not fail I would climb the seven summits and the second seven summits. It is one of my goals in life to climb the seven summits (Mt. Everest, Mt Denali, Kilimanjaro, Vinson Massif, Kosciuszko, Mt. Elbrus, and Aconcagua.) They are the highest points on each of the seven continents, and for some reason I have always dreamed of conquering these mountains. To stand on Everest and just know that I cannot physically be any higher on the Earth is mind boggling to me. After completing the seven summits I would move onto the second seven summits. No one has ever climbed all of the second seven summits, and I can hardly wrap my mind around being the first to ever achieve this goal. If I could not fail I would also travel to every country in the world. I want to interact and meet the people of the world, not read about in a magazine. I dream of living in a totally different culture, and learning their way of life. I would like to live in a culture so different from my own that they could hardly be compared. I long for the opportunity to see all of Earth’s beauty and natural wonders. If a traveled the world, I would try and avoid the large cities because I don’t think a person learns much from a foreign city where the people speak English and I could eat at a McDonalds. The small towns and villages are what really interest me because it seems that is where the nicest and most interesting people are always located. In short if I could not fail, I would just try and see the world and see what life really has to offer.

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  14. If I could do anything and know that I wouldn't fail, I would pursue my lifelong dream of having a great husband who is successful himself, and I would become and orthopaedic surgeon. Now that I think about it the dream seems a bit unrealistic, but then again the question specifically said I wouldn't fail. Also, I have always wanted to help people with special needs. I respect them through my eyes and I wish other people would at least give them a second chance and respect them like they are no different than us. I am not sure how to achieve this goal because women are usually not in the medical work field like men, they have to work harder to get there to show their skills. In the past years, men have obviously done a great job handling all of the injuries. My dreams have changed a little bit over the past year; I want to do anything in the medical field, and hopefully achieve my original dreams of becoming an orthopaedic surgeon. I long to help people in the way that they helped me.

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  15. There are so many things that I want to say, but first, I would like to graduate high school. By graduating high school I feel will give me a huge confidence boost that I greatly need. If I could not fail I would try to do as much with my life as I could. I would give to people as often as possible. I would continue to be a light to this dark world in which we are living right now. I feel that wihtout dreams it is almost impossible to do things in this life.
    The next thing I want to do is go to college and graduate in four years. A goal of mine is to stay as clean as I can and not get involved in any thing that would cause me to feel dirty. mostly meaning drugs and alcohol. Somewhere along the lines I would like to get married and start a family.
    Lastly, I would like to live a successful life by doing what I love and being with the people I love.

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  16. If I knew that I could not fail there could be many thing that I would like to do. I could run in college, I could make it to the Olympics, I could have the career of my dreams. There are so many options that could make my wildest dreams come true. However I think that failure is the only way we can become great at certain things. One thing that I don't find failure necessary for however would be falling in love. I know it may sound cliche but I don't think "failing" at love it needed. If I could do that and not fail I would. It is one of the most rare and cherished things in life and I believe that it "fails" so much in this world because it is thrown around as if it doesn't mean anything. Without the option of failure love could be achieved in all its greatness and serve its purpose of making people happy

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  17. If I had knowledge that I couldn't fail at anything that I did; there would be many things that I would like to do. For example, I could have the career of my dreams. I could go to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and major as a professional pilot. I could have a great career seeing the world, and get paid doing what I love. I also have many dreams, and hopes; one of them being that I will eventually become an airline pilot. I can attain all of my dreams with hard work and by applying myself. If I don’t achieve my dreams I believe that I will not ever be happy. Having a successful life is very important to me. Also, if I’m not doing something that I love to do as a career; I would believe that I am a failure at life. But, without some failures along the way I believe that we as humans would never learn.

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  18. If we had the knowledge that we would not fail things might be a little easier when were completing something. Just getting all the thought about failure will make things a lot easier. One thing that would be cool to have this for is my dream to make a restaurant and that would be awesome just knowing the fact that you couldn't fail.I would be willing to try anything and everything and living live like that makes things easier.

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  19. If I knew I could not fail there is so much i would love to do. I would try all sorts of new things I have never done before. I like to change things up but I am always too afraid to try. My aspirations are to go somewhere hot for college and become an archealogist where i can travel the world and learn about ancient civilizations. I want to the marry the greatest guy out there (in my opinion). I want some children and I would be a mother to them first and a worker second. I wanna be that neighbor that is always giving their neighbors gifts and the kids candy. If I had lots of money I think it would be very cool to randomly give gifts to people, strangers and friends.

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  20. What would you achieve if you knew you could not fail? What are your dreams, hopes, aspirations for life? What do you long for? How can those dreams be attained? What happens if you don't achieve them?

    The fear of failing at something is a hindrance that holds almost all people back. However, if I knew that I could not fail at anything that I did I would achieve all of my dreams. I would play Division I hockey at Air Force Academy and then once graduated enter the military. These can only be attained through extremely hard work throughout my entire life. We are always having to sacrifice the present for the future but I think that when the future comes we realize how truly worth it all of the sacrifices were. Playing college hockey and enlisting in the military are the two things that I have longed to do most of my life but know that I will most likely only be able to do one. Not being able to fail would bring unparalleled confidence to my life that would lift me up in all other aspects. However, I firmly believe that failure is necessary in life. We learn some of our most important lessons in life when we make mistakes or are unable to accomplish something. It allows us as people to become stronger and more prepared for anything. I would rather live my life with a strong will and heart than with the ability to succeed all of the time. With heart you can continue to try something no matter how many times you fail and never give up along the way. It is when we battle and struggle through, but succeed, in hard times that makes us and defines us as people.

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  21. I believe that no matter who you are, through hard work and determination, you can reach any goal you want. And the same goes for myself, even in a system that values education and social status more then street smarts, it is still possible to work the system and achieve whatever goals you set out to do. If I was positive i wasn't going to fail at something i would attempt to create a life changing product that cured cancer or something. But it's not reality that i'm not going to fail at something i try for the first time, and thats where the whole idea of reality sets in, you have to work to earn what you don't have, what you need, and what you want, and as a result of reaching these goals, you further yourself as an individual by suceeding.

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