Words of Wisdom : Dream Bigger

Dream Bigger

Lia Vosti

If a genie granted you three wishes, what would they be? (and no, you cannot wish for three more genies). 

The other day a friend of mine asked this and I had no initial response. But then I started thinking, and all kinds of things began to cross my mind: do I want to wish for straight A’s this quarter? New shoes? My boyfriend to take me on a romantic date tomorrow? But then I found myself stopping between ideas thinking, no, that’s too small of a wish; this genie can grant me anything. So I went back to square one and started to rethink my wishes: If anything is possible, what do I want to wish for now? I wish that for one day everyone in the world could feel loved. I wish that for one day, no one would go to sleep hungry. 

I found that as soon as I shifted my mind to this question, my entire thought process in response to this question shifted as well. It appears that when I initially thought about what I wanted, I had some kind of my own imaginary boundaries in my mind that limited what was within range of my wishing power. But as soon as I lifted these boundaries, suddenly I was looking at the world in a new light. 

What would you wish for if anything was possible? What would you do if you knew you would not fail? How would you act if you knew everyone around you already loved you? We seldom think about these questions, but they have a control over us that we don’t even realize. 

Try this: think about something you want, a dream you have, what you think you want to be like in ten years. Now, change your mind and just for a second, really, truly believe that anything is possible – infinity is within reach. And re-ask yourself the same question. Did your answer change? Mine did. 

I encourage you to do the same thing I have been encouraging myself to do ever since I was posed with the genie question: dream bigger-- wish bigger! If we spend our whole lives believing that the impossible will remain impossible, then we are in no position to make any kind of progress. So dream outside your box, imagine that you will not fail, and act in accordance. You may be surprised how much you are capable of. 

I’d like to leave you with a quote, one of my favorites, spoken by a true dreamer:

“ ‘One can’t believe impossible things,’ Alice said. ‘I daresay you haven’t had much practice,’ said the Queen. ‘When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.’”

-Lewis Carroll

Through the Looking Glass

The Words of Wisdom Column, Lia Vosti:

Lia Vosti is an undergraduate at Santa Clara University, majoring in Bioengineering. Growing up together, her words always made the most obscure situations crisp and clear. She is the up and coming Renaissance woman, able to give homely advise after a day in the lab, and wise beyond her years.