Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Aspiring and Attempting to Achieve

Please react to the following questions in a fluent, concise, and thought-provoking response. Make sure you write with solid conventions and answer each question:

Two 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?"

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?

35 comments:

Paul D. said...

If I knew I wouldn’t fail I would try to achieve success and happiness through being a CEO of a major company. Mostly I would just try in general because the thought of failing holds me back and makes me not want to try to achieve success. My dreams for life are to be able to look at every day and thank God I’m still alive and not just live the day and let time slip by. Hopes for my life are being truly happy with what my profession is and not regretting a day of my life. I long for the happiness of looking outside and seeing all the good in the world and not worry about the problems I won’t ever solve. I don’t want to think about what will happen if I don’t achieve these goals because in the end I will just be afraid of failing and wont give my life to achieving my goals.

Spencer B said...

If I knew I wouldn't fail I would achieve something that I love the most. For me I would achieve my goal of flying which obviously includes all of the tough and rigorous prerequisites. I want to enjoy my life by being self-reliant. Selfishly, I want to travel the world and discover new places and people. I want to include people in my life that enjoy these things too. I also wish for world peace, and for all countries to exist in harmony. I have struggled in school and one day I hope to help and inspire students like myself. I am the maker of my own destiny. I must set my goals, then put in one hundred percent effort. If I fail I must seek out the reasons for my failure. My choices are to try again or set different goals. My other motto is: Never Say Never.
Too many teachers have told me that I will never become a pilot. I will return by doing a fly over my old school.

Alyssa B. said...

If I knew I could not fail, I would learn how to dance – every type of dance. Actually, I’d learn as much as I could about everything... I’d learn as many languages as possible, and how to make dresses. I’d learn how to paint and sculpt... I’d learn how to sing and play the piano, and the cello, and harp, and trumpet and French horn. I’d learn how to ice skate. I would learn a brass instrument and join a drum corps... and I’d learn weapon on guard. I’d learn how to fence and arch. I’d open an art center... for all the arts. It would be huge and have a music room, and practice rooms and drawing rooms and classes for people to learn whatever they wanted. And, since I could do anything, I’d find a way to make it free to the public.
My aspirations are to become fluent in Spanish, Italian, Arabic, French, German, and maybe Greek and Chinese. I also want to be able to draw/paint well enough to accurately express my ideas and emotions.
I can’t really guess what would happen if I didn’t attain those aspirations. Since they all involve me learning something I control if I attain them... plus I can practice them anywhere, even if I don’t have any money.
I long to fall in love, get married, and have kids. Most of all I long to teach my children as much as I can and make their lives better than mine. That way, if they keep the same goal, and their children keep that goal, life will keep getting better in small ways and maybe they’ll end up changing the world for good.
If for some reason I don’t fall in love and therefore don’t have kids, then I will just continue to learn and support myself.

HannahG said...

If I knew I could not fail, I would complete every task I've ever wanted to before I died. For example falling in love, traveling the world, learning how to cook, attending a University, becoming friends with as many people possible and having a positive outlook on life at all times. Certain tasks such as these would make me a more well rounded person, and knowing I could not fail would make me less likely to hold back in order to accomplish them. In general, my main goal in life is to do whatever makes me happy. It's not necessarily having a certain job or marrying a certain type of person, but instead finding the passions in life that make me the most happy. These dreams can be obtained by not letting anyone else tell me what I want, and instead listening to myself. Not becoming corrupted by material items and not loosing sight of my dreams along the way will also help in obtaining this goal. There's no doubt in my mind that I won't achieve them, it's just a matter of believing in myself and knowing that's enough in order to get to where I want to be.

Ashley L said...

If I knew I could not fail, I would open an orphanage in a 3rd world country, go to space, get my pilots license, try out for an olympic team, perform in front of an entire audience, and find a significant other I knew I couldn't live without. My main goal in life is to find love. If you can find someone who loves you, you'll never have to walk through life alone. I long to travel and see as many sights as I possibly can. Italy, Rome, France, Germany, Peru, Chili and New Zealand are all places I wish to visit. Believing in myself and having the drive to do it is all i need in order to achieve these dreams. If I don't acheieve these dreams then I will make new dreams and try to achieve those.

Ashley L said...

If I knew I could not fail, I would open an orphanage in a 3rd world country, go to space, get my pilots license, try out for an olympic team, perform in front of an entire audience, and find a significant other I knew I couldn't live without. My main goal in life is to find love. If you can find someone who loves you, you'll never have to walk through life alone. I long to travel and see as many sights as I possibly can. Italy, Rome, France, Germany, Peru, Chili and New Zealand are all places I wish to visit. Believing in myself and having the drive to do it is all i need in order to achieve these dreams. If I don't acheieve these dreams then I will make new dreams and try to achieve those.

McKenzieM said...
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RebeccaT said...

If I knew that I wouldn't fail, then I would become the best Veternarian in the world. My biggest dream is to become a great Veternarian, so that I can help animals get well and help out animals in need. Due to my mothers allergies I cannot have any pets, so to be able to go work and help animals everyday would be the greatest dream come true. I also hope to have a big family with as many dogs as the city laws of where I will live let me. In order for me to obtain my dreams, I must get good grades in school, and always try my best. With better grades I can get into a better pre-veternary school, and be trained to be a beter Veternarian. If I don't acheive my dream, then I would have to redirect my dream and come up with a plan B, but I know that if I keep working hard then I will surely be able to obtain my dream.

Natalie H. said...

If I Could Not Fail: I would go white river rafting down the deadliest river known. I would climb the biggest mountain know. I would make life possible on Mars, if i could not fail. I would ride the back of a killer whale in the oceans of the Bahamas.I would most definitely climb the largest Sequoia on planet earth. Oh and at the same time as all these incredible yet possible tasks I would find a pure and true cure for cancer. That is, If I Could Not Fail.

Amanda G said...

If I knew I would not fail at one of my dreams, it would be to do as many things as I can before I die. I would make new friends with people anywhere I went, travel the world, fall in and out of love until I found my match, look at everything through a positive eye rather than negative. If I knew I could not fail my life would not be the same. It would make life mucfh simpler which in some cases could be bad. You would never have to work for anything or overcome obstacles to reach your dreams. Overcoming obstacels and working for things is a part of life. Its what makes the world go round. To acheive these dreams I would work my hardest to complete my list before I die. If I dont achieve them my life wont be over I would just have to change my dreams a little.

Tara.G said...

If I knew that I wouldn't fail, I would do so much in my life. One thing I dream is to go to college, get a degree in marketing and find the perfect job for me. I want a career in marketing. Also I dream to live life to the fullest. You never know when your last day will be. I don't regret anything in life. I feel that it is a waste of time to regret things that were once wanted to be done before. I want to enjoy every moment I live. I want to go far in life with not only a career but a family. When I am older I want to be married with kids and have a family like mine is now. I want to connect with my kids like I connect with my parents. I don't ever want to loose my connection with my family because of how close we are. I want to sky dive, travel around the world, and own horses with a ranch. Being able to speak German or French or Spanish would be an amazing experience to go through. I want to own a cabin in the mountains with four wheelers, dirt bikes, and land just like I have now. I want to achieve goals that I feel are very possible to achieve. Just living one day at a time, is something I find very important. Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. That's what I live for and my dreams can easily become true and real life if I set my heart and soul to them.

Liz S. said...

If I knew I could not fail, the dreams I have wouldn’t be dreams anymore. They would be nothing less than layouts for my life. The best part about dreams is that I know I cannot always achieve that dream. What drives me to be better and to follow my heart is the knowledge that it’s not a sure thing that what I strive to become or strive to achieve isn’t something that’s always attainable. If I knew if I wanted to I could be the most successful woman in the profession I want to follow then that takes the fun out of the road ahead. I would know that whatever road I wanted to take will be the right road to follow, which leaves no room for improvising or for learning from mistakes.
My personal dreams are being successful in the profession that is right for me weather I have to try out a few professions to find the perfect one or not. Also I would like to have a family with the perfect person for me. If I don’t achieve my dreams or meet my goals, then I’ll be upset for a while but I’ll never think my life is over because of one dream. Goals are met or are not thousands of times in life; if one goal isn’t met I’ll simply find another goal. This process will repeat itself so many times that by the end of a lifetime all of the lost dreams and ruined goals will seem petty in comparison to those that have been met and created. If I knew that if I wanted to be a doctor then I would be one no matter what, it would ruin the experience of discovering it on my own. To add to that, if I knew I would be married by the time I’m 25 and have 2 kids by the time I’m 35 then I would never feel the enjoyment of looking back on my life and knowing that the dreams I had were achieved on my own without the help of prior knowledge that they would be. Life is all about trial and error, living without any error takes away half the fun and experiences in life.

Ariel K. said...

If i knew i could not fail at my own dreams, my number one would be to travel. Its always been a fun thought to just get up and go with out a worry or strings holding you down. I want to see the world in all its beauty before its gone. I want to see all there is to see before i settle down and have a family, which is dream number two. I want give my kids a life similar to mine, a fairly generous one, but for them to grow up being able to appreciate the value of hard work and money so they can be caring human beings that do good for the world. I would also absolutely love to join the peace core and contribute to helping the world and give back. I suppose if i dont achieve any of these, ill always live the rest of my life with regret asking myself "what if..." and life is too short for regret.

Chris F said...

If I knew that i couldn't fail at anything in life i would go and play major league baseball and post a new strike put record for pitchers and post the new home run record in a career. My dreams would be to go to canada and hike the wilderness up there for three weeks straight. Also to go to the world series and win and get that ring. If i couldn't achieve those dreams or if i could fail it would make me better in life. if i couldn't play ball i would go and become a teacher then in the summer time i could go and hike and spend my time in the wilderness.

LoraineF said...
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LoraineF said...

If there was a dream I could attempt, that I knew I wouldn’t fail at, I would definitely work my hardest to completely ban drugs and alcohol to all ages, in every country. I know many people would strongly disagree with my "dream," but I do have reasoning behind it. I believe alcohol and drugs has completely corrupted my generation and the generations to follow. Banning alcohol and drugs would eliminate all needs for over the top sexuality, and ridiculous behavior. I just want my generation to reach its full potential in making our future "world" as successful and educated as possibly. I want to change the lives of many who haven’t yet realized what drinking has done to them. I guess someone could say I just really want to make a difference in things such as rape, under aged pregnancies, STDs, overdoses, drunk careless driving, school drop outs, and so much more. I don’t know when screwing up your life became cool, but if I could change that twist in times, or even attempt to, it would mean the world to me.

GracyB said...

If I knew I couldn't fail, I would do all the things I've always wanted to do but never really had the confidence to do. I would go to college and become a doctor at a hospital. I would go skydiving and climb Mount Everest. I would also run a marathon. I would want to be someone that people look up to and someone that I am happy with. If I knew I couldn't fail, I would make it so that people were not judgmental or hurtful. I would just want everyone to be happy with themselves and what they have. I also would marry someone that I would spend the rest of my life with. I want to be with someone that I can trust and we would just randomly go on trips or do whatever we wanted spur of the moment. I would travel to Australia, Paris, and Africa. I think I could achieve these goals if I really worked hard and set my mind to it. Also, if I just let go of my fears and doubts I would be more successful in achieving them. If I don't achieve them, then that is life. I'll be disappointed but I can always look at what I have achieved instead.

Phil E. said...

With failure impossible I know exactly what I would do. I would go and live on a tropical island. On this island I would become a captain of a ship and work at a dive shop. I would scuba dive everyday and explore the reefs. On this Island I would make movies and write music. I absolutely love making films and I would just do it to do it. Not for money, not for fame, but because I love it. If I could do those things I would. The only thing holding me back is the fright of not having enough money to support my self and one day a family. Taking away the stress of America and just relaxing would make me the happiest guy in the world.

cshippley said...

If I knew that I couldn’t fail a dream that I wanted that would push me even more and have all the confidence in the world to achieve that goal, from doing some of the scariest things to the most complicated things. For example, sky diving, going to one of the top colleges, befriending everyone and anyone I could, traveling the world and all sorts of things. I think it is scary to basically know already before you try something that you will fail because ittakes all your confidence away and you feel like you aren’t good enough. I wish and dream for many things, some I know can happen if I put to my mind to it, some I know will never come true. The thing I know I can do to get me by each day is live for today and strive for tomorrow because each breath is a gift. The one thing I want is to truly be happy with out regret. Sometimes you plan your life ahead and say oh I want this by this time and what not but things change along the way that will always set you back whether it’s good or bad.

McKenzieM said...

If I knew that I couldn't fail, there would be many things that I would do. First, music is my passion. Whether it is listening to it, playing it, or writing it, music will always be my first love. If I couldn't fail, I would make music for the world that every person could somehow relate to. I would touch people with my music. I would speak for those who can't speak for themselves. Second, I would do something for mankind. I would find THE CURE for cancer, stop world hunger/discrimination, and provide every person on this earth with food, shelter, water, and equal opportunities. Finally, I would want to be the best person I could be. I would want to be well-rounded. I would help others while making myself happy. All in all, these are only a few dreams and aspirations I can think of. I would hope that I would make new goals as my life went on.

Maureen K. said...

If I could not fail, then what would be the point? Where would the challenge be?

The possibility of failure creates passion and dedication. It causes competition, stress, anger, and everything in between. What kind of life would I have?

If there was no possibility of failure, then success would mean nothing. One cannot recognize success unless one can also recognize its balance, failure. In short, life would be nothing but a monotonous stream of nothing! Lame.

But what do I long for? Everything and nothing. I want to be beautiful, smart, and rich. At the very least, I want to be not fat. I want to learn and see everything outside of the suburban bubble. I want to be a linguist, and know at least 8 languages by the time I'm 20. I want to fall in love. And most of all, I want to be able to (epic) fail, and manage to give it another try. These all mean so much to me, even though they are ultimately inconsequential.

If I don't acheive those goals, I can only hope to take it as well as I can and make the best out of it. Falling down is just another chance to get back up again.

Unknown said...

The Dream i woulds accopmlish and not fail would be to be what i think everyone would want to be and that is to live a healthy sucessful and exciting life. I would alway love to be a S.W.A.T officer and knowing that i wouldnt fail i would go for my dreams and achive that. i would also love to be a automotive techican and work at a performance race engine shop or a nice dealership like BMW or Dodge. In life i want to do excaltly what i said, a automotive shop or police work. now i am taking a automotive class but for the police i will have to take some law classes. If i do not achive them i dont really know what is next so i cant really fail i guess.

la-rue a said...
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la-rue a said...

If I couldn't fail I would dream I would dream of finding love because such a frail thing is impossble for the living to have for another. Love is blind and so is humanity to think love exists. If I could find love I would feel alive however what could decribe such a state of heavenly abandon. If it couldn't fail I'd like to exist.

Margaux L said...

If I knew I could not fail I would take the hardest classes while in college and learn as much as possible. I wouldn't just take the classes I know I can pass but classes that are challenging and force me to think and learn. Knowledge is so powerful and I would want to become one of the most knowledgeable people on this planet. I would also want to do extreme sports knowing that I would not fail I would base jump the tallest building, I would ice climb the tallest mountain, I would scuba dive the deepest ocean, and I would raft the most dangerous river. I would aspire to invent something no one has ever even thought of. Dreams like this evolve much risk and I don't know how much risk I would be willing to take. If you don't achieve these dreams then you just keep living and learn from your mistakes.

Matt D. said...

If I knew that I couldn't fail, I would do a lot of stuff. I would try out for the ultimate fighter and then win it. then I would be in the UFC, and I would want to win the belt for the wight class I was in and hold it for the longest anyone has ever had a championship belt without losing it. I would also win the championship belt in three different weight classes and hold them at the same time, because the most held in different wight classes is two. I would also like to go to Johnson and Whales to become a chef and then open up many restaurants around the world that would be really nice. I think that I can achieve my goals with dedication to fighting and trying hard in school, so that I can go and become a chef so that I can open up my own restaurants.

AdrienneB2009 said...

I would achieve anything I put energy towards if I could not fail.
I agree with Maurine. There is less challenge and passion in a goal if one has such a sense of empowerment but that depends on one's deffinition of "failure".

My hopes and dreams include helping others. I truley enjoy interaction and gaining perspective. Also, I dream of sincerely investing my heart and time into something with a larger impact like fighting for animal rights, serving in the peace corps., or protecting the environment.

I long to be a mother. Whether or not I get married, have children of my own, or adopt, I'd like to invest my heart and soul in someone in one of the most profound ways: parenthood.

I could, obviously, obtain these dreams if I couldn't fail. In the case where I could fail, I would take in everything around me and with new perspectives, re-evaluate my priorities and my level of passion. Hopefully I will have gained more determination.

If I didn't achieve my goals I'd turn to my family and friends. I'm not afraid to ask for help.

Zach N said...

If I knew that there was no way that I could fail something, then I would do everything that I have ever wished that I could accomplish. I would get perfect grades while taking advanced classes, I would become a fireman and run through burning houses saving people all the while knowing that I would not fail. I would do life threatening stunts and do anything that I once thought was dangerous because I wouldn't have to worry about dying because I couldn't fail. I would be successful and live life to its fullest never wasting a day.
These things can still all be done in the world that I live in today, but the chances of me succeding in all of them aren't as great and the risk of some of them isn't always worth it.
If it was impossible to fail then everybody in the world would be exactly the same and practicing and working hard would mean absolutely nothing because you wouldn't get ahead of anybody.

davidh said...

My dream would be to be a DJ. I would love to be able to create music that people just feel flowing through themselves. I would want my name to be as big a Daft Punk or Sound Tribe. The possibilities are endless and the art of it is timeless. I would use this fame to make the world a better place then I found it. What groups like Sound Tribe do is so awesome to me. They give so much of the money they make away to noble cause that they feel is changing the world for the better. So if I were to have such fame I would do the same. I could attain such a dream by acquiring a turn table and practice none stop. If I never reach such a goal it will live burn in me for a long time.

Kaitlyn H. said...

If I knew I could not fail in life then why would I work? I would just have fun all day. I do hope to be successful but that doesnt always mean working 24.7. Before I settle down to start my life after I graduate college(hopefully from KU) then I would want to travel the world and see if anything happens that would make me want to change my point of view of the typical lifestyle of working to pay the governmemt and raising kids. But really the only thing I aspire to do would be travel the world then I will see where that leads me. If I dont acheive this dream then I guess I will be typical and start my life like most people do and thats kind of boring. My dream will be attained by me making enough money during my college career in order to visit numorous places all over the world.

Andrew H. said...

i know that its late but im going to do it anyway. I would sail around the world seeing different cultures and life styles experiancing out of the norm. My dream is to be happy to be free no strings attached and live life like everyday is my last. those can be attaind by doing just that living breathing learning they all further you in attaining your goals. what happens if you dont achieve them? you live. part of living is failure nobody always gets what they want so everybody fails

Andrew H. said...

i know that its late but im going to do it anyway. I would sail around the world seeing different cultures and life styles experiancing out of the norm. My dream is to be happy to be free no strings attached and live life like everyday is my last. those can be attaind by doing just that living breathing learning they all further you in attaining your goals. what happens if you dont achieve them? you live. part of living is failure nobody always gets what they want so everybody fails

Anonymous said...

If knowing I could not fail I would learn everything I possibly could and achieve anything I could possibly achieve. If I was capable of anything I would make a cure for cancer and every other affliction. I would solve world hunger make everyone equal to each other, and best of all conquer death. If that was possible then life after would be very bland and predictable so I would do just a few things for myself. In a realistic sense I would reach the top of the financial world and be the best receiver in football. I strive to learn and take everything I can out of school and experiences in life both good and bad. Only through failure can a person really learn what to expect out of oneself. The other choice is to take failure out of the picture by knowing what you are expected to know and to do what you are supposed to do on time. Dreams can be attained by putting the required effort to achieve the dream however big or small the dream. The effort is what a person really learns from. If a dream is unachievable or a person fails to achieve the dream the person feels misplaced in the world from all the “big” figures achieving their dreams. The person can think up a new dream and put the effort foreword to achieve the dream and then fell accomplished and successful.

Emily F said...

If I truly couldn't fail, I'd cure all cancer known. I'd play a professional sport and make enough money to support my whole family. I'd also put an end to starvation and disease all over the world. Not only would I do that, but I'd become an A+ student and I would accomplish any academic goal I set. Although none of these are possible it's ok because Overcoming obstacels and earning things are a part of life. If everyone got what they wanted without failing, we'd never learn or become stronger.

jake R said...

If I couldn't fail, I would become a mechanical engineer and graduate with honors from The School of Mines. I would do what I like which is basically advanced building and design. using my common sense and mechanical skills through my head and hands. I honestly don't think that I can get into Mines or another major university right away. But that won't stop my dreams. If I don't get in, I will start off at a small community college and work my way up. But I won't give up at it. I want to be a mechanichal engineer and I don't just want to sit in an office and file papers. I will achieve my goals.