The world is full of people who're afraid of reaching for their dreams in case they're disappointed.

A lot of parents teach their children to be modest in their expectations. It's understandable for them not to want their sons and daughters to be hurt, so they teach them to have "reasonable" ambitions -- to aim for the things they know are well within their capabilities. That way, they'll avoid the pain of failure, or the embarrassment of having other people know they've failed.

The trouble is, a "reasonable" ambition dooms you to a life of mediocrity.

Just getting by is not abundant living. Doing a job you don't enjoy, solely because it pays the bills and is considered socially acceptable, is not a definition of success or happiness.

Suppressing your real ambitions, talents, dreams and wishes is a recipe for unendurable frustration -- and over time the pain of that frustration will get worse, not better.

Your particular mixture of interests, talents, dreams and inspirations is unique. It's not appeared before in human history, and it won't again.

That means that you (however unlikely it might seem right now!) can achieve something no-one else has ever done before you -- and if you don't go for it, no-one else can.

It might be years, or even centuries, before someone takes another route to make the same discoveries, to write the books, to sing the songs or sell the products that it lies within your power to achieve -- and till that happens, the whole world must do without them. What's so very "reasonable" about that?

If this sounds far-fetched, think of Thomas Edison. Born in 1847, this was a man who in all his life had only three months' formal education, but he planned to make a light-bulb that could offer bright, safe light in people's houses. Most people laughed at him. After all, it wasn't "reasonable".

At first he couldn't do it, but he wouldn't give up. He couldn't, because he had a big, ambitious dream that went a long way further yet.

Once people had electric lighting in their houses, they'd need power -- and once they had the power, they could use it, too, for other things, like heating, cooking, cleaning... even entertainment. Once he had his light-bulb, he could change the world.

It's said he tried 10,000 times to make a light-bulb. When someone asked him how he felt about his many failures he replied, "I haven't failed. I've ruled out ways that don't work, that's all. Each try brings me closer to the one that will."

Eventually, he was rewarded -- and with his light-bulb in production, set to work on even more ambitious dreams. Just a couple of his successes led to the beginning of the record industry and cinema.

Edison was granted over 1,000 patents -- more than anyone in history. To this day that record's not been broken. He formed a company to develop his inventions, and became one of the richest men in America.

What's important's not just that he achieved the seemingly impossible, or even that he persevered despite 10,000 disappointments. What matters most is how he did it.

He had ambitious dreams that totally inspired him. They energized him. The knowledge of the benefits that he could bring the world, as well as to himself, fuelled his commitment even when the road was hard. He wasn't "reasonable".

If you want to reach your goals, it pays to be creatively unreasonable.

Choose a dream that totally inspires you, one you can enjoy however hard the going gets.

Write down exactly what you're aiming to achieve, and how it can help others (the way to get the things you want's to make sure other people get what they want, first -- that's the only way they're going to pay you for your efforts).

Now list the steps you need to take to make that happen. Spend some time working on those tasks each day (you don't need give your job up till you can afford to!), and watch the magic start to happen.

Above all, keep your outlook absolutely positive. Learn from your mistakes and adjust your plans accordingly, but remember the 10,000 light-bulbs and keep going.

See yourself always as on your way to great success. Thomas Edison succeeded -- so can you.

The way to be quite certain that you'll fail is not to try.

Shoot for the moon -- for even if you miss, you'll reach the stars.