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Aspirations Revisited

At the beginning of this year, you might recall a post where I shared this idea conveyed by Dilbert author Scott Adams in daily writing down your aspirations in hopes that they will eventually come true. (If you want a refresher, here is a link to that post.) Now that we're deep into March (which is insane to think about), I wanted to reflect on what I think about having practiced this weird pseudo-science for a few months.


First off, none of the aspirations have come true. I am not at all surprised because I set the bar so ridiculously high on them that if one of them ever were to come true, I'd probably be in my mid-40s. At the earliest.

I still don't plan at all on sharing with you what I've been writing. I think you'd understand why if I did. The goals are so ridiculously high that you'd probably think I'm narcissistic for even setting them in the first place. I'm currently reading through Ego is the Enemy, and the author shares that the people who kept their ego most in check were silent about their goals. I like this thought, so my loudmouth, blogging self is still going to keep quiet here.

While Scott Adams still held to this idea that the practice eventually produces results in the end, I obviously can't say definitively that I agree with that since none of mine have come true. What I can say, however, is that I have found a benefit I do agree with. If you recall in my original post, Scott Adams partly believes the "science" behind why aspirations work is because of the reinforcement it places in your head. Much like the ability to hear your name in a crowded room, we become attuned to the regularly recurring things in our life.

I actually think I agree with this statement. While none of my aspirations have become a reality, I have found myself more consciously aware of "stumbling upon" opportunities that would take me one step closer to those goals. Of course, I won't deny that it could be just coincidence, but I can't help but think that this is more the result of these newly reinforced ideas attuning themselves to my daily life.

All that to say I'm going to keep practicing these aspirations. I have no idea what's going to become of them in the future, but because of what I shared in those last two paragraphs, I think it's worthwhile continuing them. If you're on the fence whether or not you'd also like to try them, I'd definitely say to give them a go. (And come back and share your thoughts with me later!)

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