Aim High, Even When It Feels Impossible
- Shari Bookstaff
- Nov 20
- 2 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Motivational speakers love to talk about setting SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. And sure, those matter. But I’ve always believed something a little different:
We can’t get everything we want, but if we don’t want it in the first place, we’ll never get any of it.*
Think of basketball: a player may only make 30% of the shots they take… but they make 0% of the shots they don’t take.
That’s how I approach my own goals: I set them high—sometimes impossibly high—because reaching for more than you think you can get often leads you somewhere extraordinary. Some of the most remarkable moments of my life happened because I reached beyond what seemed realistic: meeting Michael Jackson, having many interactions with my all-time favorite quarterback Steve Young, talking to legendary marine biologist Sylvia Earle… and experiencing the awesome power of one of my greatest loves—whales.
Juneau: The Wishlist
During my 2022 trip to Juneau, Alaska—and again this past summer—I had a simple dream list:
Bubble-net feeding humpback whales
An unforgettable view of killer whales
Bald eagles
Bears catching salmon
Did I get all of that in 2022? Not quite. But what I did get was magical in its own way: a wild beaver, countless eagles, enormous glaciers, and this moment—one that took my breath away:
Later on that same trip, we returned to the water… and that’s when everything changed:
August 2025: The Year the Goal Got Better Than the Dream
My most recent trip back to Juneau brought more incredible whale encounters—both humpback and orca—but it also gifted me something completely unexpected: a bear experience that surpassed even my boldest hopes.
My daughter, Abby, and I visited a fully wheelchair-accessible trail near Mendenhall Glacier. The path winds past a salmon stream, and I had heard rumors that bears sometimes wander there to feed. We arrived around 6 p.m., prepared to wait patiently.
But we didn’t have to.
Within 20 minutes, a mama bear and her two cubs emerged from the trees. They spent at least half an hour fishing just feet from us—so close that my zoom lens was too long. It was a quiet, powerful, surreal moment… the kind of moment you remember for life.
The Lesson
Setting goals that feel too big, too far, or too unlikely isn’t unrealistic—it’s courageous.
Aim beyond what seems possible. It’s the only way to end up with more than you imagined. And sometimes, it leads you to extraordinary places—like a bridge near a glacier, watching a mama bear and her cubs hunt for salmon.
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