The Goals That Seem Impossible Today Will One Day Feel Normal

This morning I felt stuck. The kind of stuck where you stare at the screen, sip your coffee too slowly, and wonder if any of it makes sense. Out of restlessness, I opened an old notebook and stumbled upon a list of goals I wrote two years ago. One of them stopped me cold: learn bachata well enough to dance with pros without feeling ashamed.

Back then, that sentence felt ridiculous. I couldn’t even imagine moving with that kind of flow, let alone doing it without drowning in self-consciousness. But today? I can. I’ve danced with pros, laughed through mistakes, felt the music in my body instead of just counting steps in my head. What was once unimaginable is now simply… me. Ordinary. Normal.

That realization was like a mirror held up to my life. Two years ago, I thought this goal was Everest. Today it feels like a hill I walk without noticing. And if that’s true, what does it say about the mountains I see in front of me right now?

Today, my goals are different. I want to step into the role of coach, speaker, content creator. I want to reach 100,000 people, not for the numbers, but for the chance to help others live more authentic, freer lives. And if I’m honest — it feels daunting. Overwhelming even. Just like bachata once did.

But here’s the thing: we feel most successful not just by what we achieve, but by how we measure it. Two years ago, success wasn’t winning a competition — it was simply daring to step onto the dance floor without shame.

Once I understood that, I could celebrate every small victory. One song danced without panic. One evening where the music carried me more than my inner critic did. Progress became visible because the measure was mine, not borrowed from someone else’s standard.

Maybe that’s what all goals are. They’re not promises of arrival. They’re invitations to grow into someone who can. They stretch the imagination of what’s possible, even if you never land exactly where you thought.

Looking back, I see it clearly: the goal was never just to dance bachata. The goal was to become the kind of person who risks awkwardness for connection, who lets music flow through his body without apology.

For restless, ADHD-style brains like mine, there’s also a simple trick: always keep three or four big goals across different areas of life, and tie each one to a why that lights you up. Without a clear why, even the most exciting dream can feel flat once resistance sets in.

For me, it wasn’t just “I want to dance bachata.” It was: I want to dance bachata so I can feel alive again and connect more easily with others after years of anxiety. That’s what got me into the studio when self-doubt whispered excuses. The stronger the why, the steadier the compass.

When we know how to measure success in ways that truly matter to us — and keep our goals tied to reasons that stir something inside — we discover that we’re already succeeding along the way. Goals become less about some faraway finish line and more about the compass that keeps us moving, step by step, into a life that feels like ours.

So let me ask you: what’s your “bachata”? The thing that feels impossible now but, in two years, might feel as natural as breathing? And what why could you anchor to it, so the journey feels alive even before you get there?

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