Anything is Possible

It's common knowledge to my close friends and family that I'm kind of a nerd...especially when it comes to space. I love to watch the NASA channel (especially when they replay the video of the shuttle launch from the view of the SRBs). I love the Space and Rocket Center. I love Kennedy Space Center. And, as I recently learned, I love to watch shuttle launches in person.

(my photo of STS 135-Atlantis's last flight)

What we have accomplished in space is nothing short of amazing. When President Kennedy declared that we were going to the moon, most people thought it was impossible. They thought he was crazy. They thought it couldn't be done. But, it was done. We did it. We not only fulfilled Kennedy's dream, but we went way beyond (I think there might be a pun in there somewhere). We accomplished the impossible. There are so many lessons to be learned from this. But, I think there are 3 important notions that can't be overlooked about how anything is possible:

1. Dare to dream. Somebody had to dream about what space was like. Somebody somewhere thought, "Hey, I wonder what's up there in the sky. We should go up there sometime." This dreaming became contagious, and other people started to dream along with said person. This is applicable to our own lives. You may have a hint of a dream that scares the heck out of you. If you really think about what it is you want to do, you run. You flee. Don't do that. Dream about it. Consider it. Contemplate it. Talk about it with your spouse, family, and friends.
2. Make a plan. Do you think NASA just randomly decided to engineer a vehicle to go into space? Do you think they just started grabbing parts in the assembly building to put together? Of course not. They're NASA! They put together a detailed plan. They tested unmanned rockets first (great decision by the way). Once they kind of got that figured out (it took them awhile, but more on that later), they started working on a new plan. It was methodical. My husband makes fun of me because I write to-do lists like nobody's business. Sometimes I put "breathe" on there, just so I can mark it off (slightly exaggerating here). I love to know what I have to do, so that I can do it. Plans are good. They allow you to see where you are, where you want to go, and what steps you need to take to get there.
3. Follow through. Ok back to that part where I said it took them awhile to figure out about the rockets. I saw a video of the first rockets that NASA tested on the launch pad when I visited Kennedy Space Center earlier this month. The number of times when it blew up on the pad was unbelievable. Thankfully, these were unmanned. Sometimes the top part of the rocket blew up. Sometimes it blew up in the middle. At one point, the rocket looked like it would take off, but then it just fell over! How disappointing. But...they didn't give up. They stuck to the plan. And it paid off. We went into space. We got to the moon, several times. We went on to develop a new vehicle, a shuttle, to go many more times. And we look forward to the next step in space adventure. All because they had a dream, made a plan, and followed through with it. 

What are you dreaming about?