Stars and Steppingstones

The intro week of this course talked about how we need meaning in our lives and that in order to accomplish that we needed intent. This week we had several assignments that helped us start establishing intent by digging into who we are and what we want to accomplish. We put together a bucket list of 50 items. It was tough to come up with that many things I wanted to do, but it was a good exercise because it forced me to actually put some things down on paper. What really stood out to me though was what we learned about stars and steppingstones. The concept here is to have a solid plan of who we want to become and plot out the “stepping stones” along the way that will help us achieve that goal or “star” as they put it. This concept seems so simple but it makes so much sense to me. We can have a star in mind but if we don’t make a plan on how to achieve it, we are much less likely to do so.  The following quote stood out to me as I read the “Stars and Steppingstones” document by Jeff Sandefer:

“Stars and steppingstones are a way to avoid the horror of a meaningless life.”

Most of my time this week was spent on actually putting together my own star and steppingstones chart. I really had to do some pondering to think through my most effective ethical guardrails, my stepping stone job and callings. However, working through this exercise really helped me see that my star can become a reality. As the quote says above, I really would like to avoid the “horror” of waking up one day and realizing that my life was wasted and that I really didn’t accomplish much of anything.

Below are the answers to the questions for Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture:

• Why do you think Randy Pausch was able to achieve so many of his childhood dreams?

 

Because he had such a positive attitude! Something that stood out in his presentation was when he was talking about why we run into brick walls. He said that they were there to see just how bad we wanted to accomplish a goal. He said the brick walls were to keep other people out, those that didn’t want it bad enough to conquer the brick walls. This optimistic view is why I believe he was able to accomplish many of his childhood dreams.

• Do you feel that dreaming is important? Why or why not?

I think dreaming is important because it is how we push ourselves. We have to be careful though, and realize that we cannot have it all. In the article, “What is Your Calling in Life”, Jeffrey Thompson talks about some of the myths that are associated with getting a dream job. He said that having your dream job doesn’t mean it will be bliss, that the world will take notice or that you will find meaning in what you do. It is important to dream but to be realistic in our expectations.

        

• Discuss at least one of your childhood dreams. Explain why you believe you can or cannot achieve this dream.

One of my childhood dreams was to move to NYC, to be successful in business and to have my own place on the top of a luxury high-rise apartment. At this point in my life that specific dream will not come true as I am now married with 1.5 children. However, when I was still single I had a good job and bought my first home. I felt successful and happy. In a way, I believe I did accomplish my childhood dream.