Dream Big, But Dream Wisely

I've been meaning to share this for a while (two months); but, have been hesitant because it's a bit corny.  But, since it has been on my mind for this long I should probably just put it on (virtual) paper.

About two months ago, I was in the Bay Area, CA (one of my favorite places) for work.  I spent about four days there and got a chance to interact with ground level associates and develop a greater understanding and appreciation for what they do. While I was there for work, my mind couldn't help but to dwell on the societal issues I was seeing up close.  There I was, a 22 year-old kid who one week sat in a Boardroom with C-Level Execs and the next talked in a warehouse with part-time employees. Needless to say, I was struggling to figure out where I fit in.  The warehouse associates demeanor led me to believe they thought I was far more important that I actually was.  In reality, they were the wealth of knowledge that I needed to tap into in order to solve the problem I was given.  After my four days there, I had learned the information necessary to make a recommendation and headed home with the thoughts and faces of the hard working associates running through my mind.

After being put through hell at the security checkpoint at the airport (ridiculous), I finally made it to my gate.  It was your typical airport and gate, but what I failed to notice was that we were on ground level and there was no Jetway for us to walk on to our plane. Great.  When boarding time came, we strolled out into the steamy California heat and stood in an elementary school style single file line to board what seemed like a huge plane.  I couldn't understand why they would make us stand in this line and walk up stairs to a regular sized plane. Hmm.  I thought to myself, "at least they'll have plenty of space for my carry-on."  Boy, was  I wrong.  

When I finally made it on the plane, I was disappointed to find that it was not a large plane at all; it was smaller than a normal one.  There was definitely no room for my carry-on and I had to plead with the flight attendant to put it in a closet on the plane (didn't need a roscoe jenkins episode happening to me).  As I sat down and buckled up for take-off, I blocked out the annoying "if this plane is about to crash pitch" with thoughts of my misperception of the plane's size. 

Like I said, this corny; but I couldn't help but focus on how overwhelming the plane looked from standing beneath it on the outside and how small and underwhelming it was once I was inside.  If I can make this misjudgement with a plane size, what else am I doing it with? Are things that seem out of touch and grandiose really just steps away and mediocre at best? Since that day, I question everything. Not in a pessimistic or cynical way, but in a manner that will allow me to truly assess the way things really are.  Looks truly can be deceiving.  Something you desire may not be all it's hyped up to be once you finally reach it; but on the other hand, it could be. So Dream Big, but Dream Wisely.