Mile High Moments

Source: Nasa

It’s that time of year where the preferred salutation is greetings of a happy season, and we warm our hearts by partaking and/or being touched by this season of giving. Recently, a video by Calgary based Westjet has gone viral that showcased the best of the season and the best of the season’s giving.

If you’re unfamiliar with the video, I suggest you take the few minutes to watch the video (and then take a few more minutes to wipe away the tears).  However, here’s a quick summary of the video if you’re strapped for time and would rather stay on this page (yay, you!): Westjet set up a special virtual Santa kiosk in the Toronto and Hamilton airports. Guests scanned their boarding passes and were delighted that jolly old Saint Nicholas greeted each of them by name. The big guy then asked what they wanted for Christmas. Good fun! Well, unbeknownst to the passengers, as they flew to their destination (Calgary), Santa’s elves were quickly fulfilling the wishes of the passengers and, rather than boring old luggage coming down the conveyor belt, wrapped gifts with their names on it came out. And, lo and behold, every little boy and girl and big boy and girl got what he or she wanted, even the couple who asked for a big screen television!

Although there is little doubt that everyone was overjoyed at the surprise and incredibly grateful for the gifts they received regardless of what that gift was, I can’t help thinking about the couple who reached for the moon and asked Santa for a big screen television and the guy who kept his wishes in check and asked for socks and underwear. Is there a tiny piece of that man who might be kicking himself for not asking for something a bit loftier?

Now I’m not suggesting he should have been greedier in asking for more. I’m talking about the dreams and goals we have and what happens when they’re big screen TV type dreams versus socks and underwear type dreams? Well, in this case, both achieved their dreams, but I’m betting I can guess which passenger was slightly more excited.  

But, again, it’s not about who got the TV and who got the socks. It’s about what they dared (or didn’t dare) to ask for. The couple who asked Santa for a big screen TV likely didn’t expect to get one and, therefore, it wasn’t driven by greed.  It was driven by taking a risk, by going for something that not everyone has the guts to ask for, and by reaching for the moon. The socks and underwear guy? He wasn’t even reaching for the clouds. 

If your goals and dreams are mediocre, at best, how does that affect what you achieve versus what you could achieve? Is it more advantageous to set awesome goals and dreams?

There have been arguments made for and against setting stretch goals. Some of the arguments against highlight how they can be demotivating, especially if they’re far from achievable or they can lead to excessive risk taking or unethical behavior. I would actually agree with that argument if the stretch goals are solely financial in nature. However, as author Steve Denning points out in the Forbes article, “In Praise of Stretch Goals”, emphasizing goals that are awesome over mediocre and tap into strong intrinsic drivers can lead to contributions that are big and worthwhile.

Think of the giant leaps for mankind that can be made by thinking big. Take a cue from the man who literally shot for the moon, President Kennedy.  He not only set out the goal of “landing a man on the moon”, but also, “returning him safely to Earth”.

What’s your moon dream? Have you dared to say it out loud? 

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."
- Les Brown

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