The author recounts their childhood dream of working in New York City and achieving success. After getting an internship and job offer in NYC, the author realized their dream was too narrowly defined by a specific goal and location. They learned dreams should be guiding principles rather than tangible objectives that are achieved. The author will continue dreaming but with dreams defined by principles rather than objects or destinations, and focusing on doing what they love rather than being at the top.

1. Ever since I was a child, I DREAMED of working in NYC

2. When I was accepted at MIT, I knew I was getting closer and
closer to a BIG city job
and I was SOOOO happy

3. When I didn’t understand gyroscopes…

4. And had to stay up doing problem sets…

5. I would take a break, sit out in the
courtyard, and gaze out at the Prudential…
“I will end up at the TOP of that someday,” I thought

6. I landed an internship at a big firm in NYC
And it was…. COMPETITIVE

7. There was the SCARY BOSS, the TERRIBLE HOURS,
And the standard corporate bureaucracy

8. After all, this was my DREAM
When I got the offer to come back full-time, I still signed it

9. the Prudential became surprisingly SMALL
But when I got back on campus,

10. suffocatingly LARGE
And New York had become

11. I realized that as a CHILD, they had taught me to DREAM

12. But I had defined my dream as a tangible OBJECT

13. So that once I had jumped over the Prudential
and landed in NYC

14. I had NOTHING after that

15. Having left MIT and Boston behind, I realized that I was just
one more dinosaur following behind a line of many

16. And that, as they always say
Life really is an un-ending stream of moving goal posts

17. But I thought to myself, “It is DANGEROUS to settle”
I don’t want to wake up when I’m older wishing that I
had run after my dreams just a LITTLE BIT harder

18. Perhaps the secret is not to define my DREAMS as objects,
but rather as PRINCIPLES that guide my decisions

19. Instead of thinking, “I want to be a ballerina”

20. I should dream that I can influence people’s lives
with my work

21. Instead of wanting to be on TOP
I should focus on doing what I LOVE

22. After all, once you reach the TOP
There is always someone right there to meet you, so the top
that you pictured in your mind really doesn’t exist

23. That doesn’t mean that I stop DREAMING
It just means that I live loving the PRESENT, while
working towards the FUTURE
After all, my DREAMS are an extension of my personality
And if that’s true, what would I be without them?

24. So I’m going to keep DREAMING

25. As time passes, I CHANGE
And so do my DREAMS
Yes, I’m a girl, but how else do I show an aging dinosaur?

26. But the PRINCIPLES and AMBITIONS that have guided my
life won’t change

27. So I’ll keep DREAMING
And I hope you’ll keep DREAMING too

28. Thanks for reading
Willow’s Wednesday Musings
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