Wouldn’t it be great if…?
We’ve started a sentence or three this way before.
The premise is simple: The status quo stinks and there’s a better reality to strive towards.
In other words, there is a gap between what’s real and what’s ideal.
This gap is a reality for all of us in an imperfect world. Life doesn’t go our way all the time.
Whether we have a lot or a little, there are things we want improved. There are days we wish we had a mulligan on. And there are times when we’re not feeling our best.
We bridge this gap through imagination and communication. By conveying to others our utopia, our ideal situation. Our Wouldn’t it be great if…? moment.
Yet, our perspective on the chasm between where we are and where we want to be can differ greatly from person to person.
Some of us approach this gulf as idealists with realist aspirations. And others look at is as realists with idealist aspirations.
Idealists with realist aspirations look at their current situation with a mixture of hope and regret. By expressing their best-case scenario for the present but then doubting its feasibility.
They might state something like the following: I wish I had enough money to buy a nice house in the suburbs. But let’s be real, that’s not going to happen anytime soon.
Realists with idealist aspirations are more blunt. They admit the imperfection of their current state but express a belief that their fortunes might change down the line.
They might say something like the following: I don’t have enough money right now to buy a nice house in the suburbs. I might not have it for a while. But hopefully I’ll get a raise and a promotion eventually, and this will change.
Neither of these perspectives is inherently wrong. They’re just two different perspectives of the same reality.
That said, there is a common misconception that idealists with realist aspirations are more optimistic than realists with idealist aspirations. I believe the opposite is true.
Admitting the less-than-ideal realities of our world doesn’t qualify as pessimism. It’s simply brutal honesty.
On the other hand, wishing for a utopia yet doubting its feasibility reeks of pessimism.
This approach is particularly bleak because it offers up an alternative reality, but punts on providing a path to get there.
This lack of initiative is concerning.
For if we want to close the gap between how it is and how it should be, we need to work at it. And we need to believe that our work can make a difference.
We need to have hope. For hope brings action. And action brings about change.
These principles are true regardless of the way we look at our current situation. Whether we consider it from a realist perspective or an idealist one, we must commit to change we want to enact in our lives.
By committing to this change, we can close the gap between our reality and our utopia. We can find the joy and contentment we seek. And we can discover the fulfillment that comes from working at determining our own destiny.
The power is in our hands. We simply need to make use of it.
So, let’s not just ask: Wouldn’t it be great if…?
Let’s make it so.