Does Size REALLY Matter? I Say—Yeah!

What of size? Since childhood, my brain has been awash with all sorts of conflicting laws about size.
Size doesn’t matter—good things come in small packages—one size fits all—bigger is better, to name just a few.

I have been pondering over this lately; does size really matter?

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The question was nagging at me after cycling the other day, or dare I say, attempting to cycle; on the road, among traffic, in the back streets of my quiet suburb, mind you.
Now, to be fair, I should confess that I’m not an experienced, capable or confident cyclist at the best of times; so cycling the streets of my local suburb with a trail of frustrated cars behind me is incredibly daunting.

I noticed, however, this one particular day the car behind me was being extremely patient, much more than I deserved, yet still my heart was accelerating faster than my feet could.
Still I felt intimidated and pressured to get a move on or get out of the way, regardless of the generous space the silver Mercedes gave me. Why? This question required some serious contemplation; over a Bloody Mary. A little secret— all good thoughts become great ones if produced while consuming a Bloody Mary—I have found.

So I asked myself the question; Would I feel this fragile and pressured if a string of toddlers on tricycles were pressing up behind me?

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If I were the bigger and faster one? Would I still have felt as intimidated?

As you can guess; my answer was a very confident NO.
No, I wouldn’t feel intimidated; I would be faster, bigger; probably even intimidating to the little squirts on trikes—braven enough to be on the road with the big guys.

As I pour myself another Bloody Mary, I considered a deeper notion;
Where else does this happen in my life? Where else does size intimidate me?The answer was blazing in my brain, surrounded by dazzling Broadway lights—My Dreams. Of course.

I have always been confronted by my Big dreams. You know the don’t-you-dare-to-dream, dreams. The ones you think will leave you broken hearted if you don’t achieve them, so better off pretending you don’t have them dreams. Never have I experienced anxiety and pressure from my small, achievable dreams, like getting a full night’s sleep and going on a holiday. But put me in front of my big dreams and I become a basket case.

You see, as a cyclist on the road with a large 4wheel drive blowing hot air up my (you know what) exists an actual danger of being hurt.One that doesn’t stand if the car is replaced with a tricycle. Just like the risks of cycling, with BIG dreams comes the risk of BIG failure, and who wouldn’t feel pressured by that?

For a moment as I sipped away at my drink, I was happy to know that being afraid of big dreams was perfectly reasonable, and especially justified. But that satisfaction was short lived, as I further contemplated the children on tricycles.

I had determined that I would feel no pressure from the small bikes, but would they push me? Did they drive me forward, to develop the skills and pedal faster? No. It would give me a comfortable ride, but I would never have much satisfaction. The large car forced me to be a better cyclist, to pedal faster than I normally would. Big dreams do the same. Once we commit to achieving one of these dreams they cause us to transform; to be someone we never imagined we could be.

So with my Bloody Mary finished I had answered my question. That size does matter, at least in the context of cycling and our dreams. It matters if we ever want to expand, achieve things we can be proud of before this crazy ride ends.

Do big dreams come with risk, yes?

But I don’t want a tombstone that reads:

Here lies Cassandra
She lived a long risk-free life
leading a string of tricycles
until she died

I want mine to read:

Here lies Cassandra
She chased big dreams
and stumbled among giants

My BIG dream is to be a best selling Author. Not for the notoriety, but bestselling would imply that many readers around the Globe enjoy my stories, which would leave me completely chuffed.
Tell me some of your big dreams in the comments box below. Throw your hat over the fence and commit to at least one of them being realized x