What Are Your Limits?

This past month has given hope to all dreamers in the world: anything is possible. First, July 11 saw Sir Richard Branson fly in his VSS Unity to the very edge of space, some 294,000 feet above the earth. Then on July 20, Jeff Bezos strapped himself into his Blue Shepard rocketship and flew even higher, reaching an apex of 350,000 feet. For both men, this was the culmination of years and years of dedicated dreaming. The 11-minute ride for Bezos took over 20 years to achieve. Branson’s flight took a mere 17 years of development.

But this is just the start of their dream fulfillments. Both men want to send civilian passengers into outer space, and both want to help lead the way for future space exploration. “I’ve always been a dreamer,” Branson said, “My mum taught me to never give up and to reach for the stars – advice I followed quite literally.”

What can these two visionaries teach us about our limits? Our dreams?

Have a Vision: Be Bold. Be curious. They both believed that this challenge of reaching space could come true. And with that belief in hand, they acted on it. Step by step, achieving goals and then setting new ones, ones that were even more challenging.

Persistence: Bezos’ company, Blue Origin, lives by a motto: “Graditim Ferociter.” That is Latin for “step by step – ferociously.” Their mascot, fittingly enough, is a tortoise. They knew this was going to take time – a lot of it.

Courage: Both “astronauts”—and I use that term in the broadest sense possible—demonstrated extreme amounts of courage. The courage to dream big and have an outlandish vision. The courage to always keep moving forward, even when it felt that the odds were against them. And the courage to expand the world for all.

Confidence: Always keep the faith, in yourself, your process, your team, and your dream.

Believe in the Team: There is no way in heaven or on earth that this task could have been accomplished without the expertise and talents of a large group of extraordinary people, both at Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin. Branson makes it clear, “This has been an enormous and an incredible team effort, and I’m so grateful for everyone who has helped build this unique program.” Bezos echoed those sentiments.

So, what’s your dream, your vision. Are you ready to dedicate yourself, heart and soul, to see that dream come true? If you are, then there is no better time than now to get started.