Dreaming Bigger

I've been in the interesting position of giving talks to job talks to international students recently. I spoke at my old university in Sendai when the guys at HR asked me to help them out. They would tell me that it was one of the most energetic talks in terms of speaking and student responses he's ever seen.

To me, this was all normal. I used to be an international student and I know that people that leave their countries to live in other places are different. I used to be one and I know beyond a doubt that people like these aren't ordinary. Living in a different country, especially where language and culture can be so different isn't easy. But yet at the same time, differences like these aren't seen as challenges, they're more like experiences.

I don't watch TV, nor have I owned one in the last 6 years. I have long since forgotten the trivialities of the news, sitcoms, dramas and "reality TV." Once you flip it on, for the most part, you are none the wiser, none healthier, none more intelligent or more motivated, but only you are briefly entertained. The hidden costs are high and I would ask, how much do you value your time? What is it in life that you wish to accomplish? And how much closer to your goals today compared to yesterday?

I've started planning, making schedules and lists of things to do recently. I have unending lists of things to learn, interesting ideas to pursue, personal goals and exercise to do. I also work and the only time I have is on the weekends to tackle personal interests. Time is limited which also bounds what I may accomplish. Perhaps in a year, I may only be able to accomplish 2~3 medium goals and where as bigger targets may take a number of years. Once realizing that and estimating the number of "able-bodied" years one has remaining, the number of big targets you can expect to hit are countable. This also assumes that nothing bad happens and you actually try. Time is finite and life is short.

What then, are noble goals? For when you become old and look back and be without doubt be satisfied with what you've done? I have yet to figure this out and have turned to a study of motivation.

There exists a wonderful video compilation of Neil deGrasse Tyson entitled We Stopped Dreaming. I would recommend those who have time to watch it because it talks of the motivations of the space program, its impacts and a sense of beauty. Pursuing daunting technological feats is no easy task, yet the outcomes of noble projects is both emotionally moving and socially meaningful. Seeing this video was mentally refreshing so I started to search for more and came across a series called the Carl Sagan Series which is also worth watching.

These videos bring a sense of inspiration, yet it is the fleeting concept of inspiration that I wish to better define because I wish to make it concrete, meaningful and actionable. If I were to define inspiration, it would be about finding non-trivial goals and meaning, which I think is a better definition than one would find in a dictionary. And the more I think about it, the more this definition fits the idea of inspiration and dreaming bigger.

This answer still begs the question "what are non-trivial goal?" to which I have no answer yet, but at least I have a better idea of what to look for.