I have been listening to older episodes of the Tim Ferriss Show, one of the best and most popular podcasts around. In one of those older episodes, Tim and his guest talked about the difference between a dream and a goal. A dream is something you just sort of think about from time to time and wonder, “What if…?” You kick the tires on it because it makes you feel good to think about it. In the end, of course, you never really do anything about it. If you do, then it turns into a goal, and that’s the main difference. A dream is a thought; a goal is what happens when the steps to making the idea reality begin to materialize. Once you know what the first step is, then you’re on a totally new path.
Not all dreams needs to be made reality. It’s OK to dream and nurture a dream as a dream indefinitely if that dream doesn’t keep you from other things in your life or if it begins to drain you emotionally and spiritually. That’s not a dream as much as it is a nightmare. When that happens, it’s time to either let go and dream new dreams or shut yours eyes and leap into action.
I’ve got one of those dreams. It’s a simple one, the seeds of which were planted a few years ago, as documented in this post. The dream back then was to someday traverse the entirety of Interstate 90 on an epic, coast-to-coast road trip. Even though I’ve talked about it to others, even ran the idea past my wife, it wasn’t until today that the dream started to become a plan. Granted, it’s not much of a plan, but that’s OK. The ideas are still swirling, but I’ve got a goal now.
The goal is simple: grab a co-pilot, grab some wheels, start in Boston, end in Seattle, and drive 3,020 miles of American highway to get from Point A to Point B. Along the way, we’ll stop at points of interest, legendary and little-known, documenting everything we eat, everything we do, every place we stay, every person we speak to. When it’s all said and done, we’ll have pages of journals, hours of audio and video, and a whole slew of stories to share.
That’s all I’ve got right now. It’s the DNA of an epic. Not sure how I’ll get there, but I know I’m going. Maybe I’ll see you along the way.
Illuminate Possibilities 