Butters & Bambi

Sometimes Facebook can be useful.

Today, a memory popped up, reminding me that 13 years ago, I publicly declared my dream of owning an Airstream trailer.

There is power in words, especially words written on a social media platform that is nearly impossible to delete (emotionally, not technically).

For me, stating what I wanted for all to read helped me visualize the goal and find ways to achieve it. It was as if the idea of the Airstream hummed in the back of my mind, periodically pulling my attention toward it.

I spent several months trying to understand what it would take to purchase an Airstream, learn how to tow it, and daydream about the many states I might visit.

I’ve written this before, but this roadtripping dream started long ago.

One magical Christmas, when I was eight, I received an RV made for Barbie. The RV was blue with a bright orange awning and smelled like plastic. Barbie’s RV epitomized freedom and adventure. From that day on, my dream was to explore the United States with the wind in my hair, a dog by my side, and a pile of notebooks in the trunk.

What I am understanding now is that when you make a public statement about what you want to achieve, it becomes more attainable. I’m sure many of us have experienced some version of this at different points in our lives.

This idea of intention, discipline, and achievement has led me to a more complex question, one that goes beyond accomplishing a single goal. I am starting to ask what I want to achieve beyond 2026, and more broadly, what the rest of my life (as a whole) might look like.

That is not an easy question to answer. Over the past decade, a lot has changed for me. I’m grateful to have accomplished many of the career goals I once set for myself, but what I’m wondering now is what a non-career-oriented goal might look like, a life vision that feels less work-oriented and, well, different.

Perhaps this is something we can all think about. By allowing ourselves to imagine the kind of life we want to build, we may find that we fuel one another along the way.