The Dream List
Over the past few days I have caught myself walking around with this inescapable gray cloud hanging over my head. It seems like no matter where you turn in the world right now you are faced with some sort of bad news. It’s overwhelming, it’s stressful, and for some, it’s demotivating.
This week I pressed pause on Run Dry and decided to shift my focus to “what comes next.” I have always found writing to be extremely cathartic and there is nothing I do better than dreaming up a future. I started researching the idea of a “Dream List” as opposed to a bucket list and was eventually led to an interesting article by creative coach and business editor, Pete Mosley (https://medium.com/@petemosley/whats-on-your-dream-list-d14c0f0b1421). He breaks down his method for composing a Dream list and those are the steps I decided to follow when writing mine. This exercise helped remind me why I am where I am right now and where I have the potential to go if I keep pushing for it.
My hopes with sharing my personal Dream List is to inspire others to challenge themselves when thinking about their future. Never settle for less. Keep this list of dreams with you for years to come and be sure to keep them in mind with every career step you make. Although I will be keeping my goals straightforward in this post, I find it helps to break down each goal into little steps. Find out what the pathway to each dream looks like and start crossing off that list!
Create a podcast
I am currently in the process of building a podcast named T1 Talks. I plan to use this podcast to share personal stories about my experience with Type 1 diabetes such as the first time I blacked out from low blood sugar. I want to take these stories and turn them into lessons for other diabetics and their friends/families, as well as, apply them to more relatable life issues when applicable. I grew up without any diabetic friends and I often felt very alone with the issues I faced from my diabetes. This podcast will help diabetics feel less alone, educate listeners on what it is like to live with a chronic illness, and share my personal opinions on what has or hasn’t worked for me in the world of diabetes.
Start a YouTube channel
This is definitely one of those “outside the comfort zone” dreams for me. I have a passion for storytelling but a fear of watching myself on camera. For my YouTube channel, I plan to connect my love for making with my love for sharing stories. For example, I would share a story about my experience working in Walt Disney World’s Tomorrowland through a voice over while building something like this (below) rocketship on screen. I would include written directions to whatever I was creating in the video, in the description. Working for Disney left me with a lot of stories and I know that my internship with the company in the fall is sure to bring a ton more.
Build a business on Etsy
This dream is one that has recently developed but it is one that is definitely achievable and a great way to test my entrepreneurial abilities. I plan to purchase a 3D Printer and print Disney ears. The Disney cast member community has its own little niche and there is nothing cast members love more than showing off their love for the company. I have noticed a few other 3D Printed ear shops on Etsy but what I haven’t seen is workplace specific ears. What makes the Disney company so special is that each work location tells its own story. I would like to make ears specific to each location, something in each ear that represents why that place is so special. I want the cast members that wear the ears to feel pride for their location. I want other people who simply love visiting that specific location to be able to show off that love and spark conversations with others about the place. I also know that members of the Disney College Program love exchanging roommate gifts during the first week of the program and these ears would be the perfect gift. Members of the college program also have apartment keys and work IDs to carry on making 3D printed themed keychains another possibility for the shop.
Become an Imagineer / work for the Disney Theatrical Group
I have faith that one day I will walk into a Disney park or production and be able to say, “I designed that!” I know I have the power to transform dreams into something tangible, and I am currently working hard on the skills I need to demonstrate that. I want to be on the team of people that take “What If” questions (I.e. — “What if humans could fly?” “What if bugs could talk?”) and make them come to life. I also love the pressure and fun of working through a live performance making the Disney Theatrical Group one of my top career goals.
Speak at a TED Talk
There is something all of my dreams have in common and I believe that my goal of delivering a TED Talk really pulls that together: sharing meaningful stories. I have so much I want to share with this world and a TED Talk is just scratching the surface of that. The main goal at TED is to “inform and inspire,” two qualities that I try to represent in all of my work. I want people to leave my talk with much more than they came with.
Now don’t get me wrong, putting your dreams down onto paper is not going to magically make them come true. Achieving your dreams requires a lot of accountability, hard work, and passion. Mosley’s Dream List exercise is meant to work as an “irritant.” He explains it as, “We all need an irritant to keep us moving — the grain of sand in the oyster shell, so to speak. Sometimes our own conscience simply isn’t enough.”
So go ahead, put down your dreams, push yourself to follow them.
*The gif used in this publication is property of tenor.com.*
