Dream Big

Bob Goff stands at the podium of a packed auditorium, his infectious laughter filling the room as he recounts how he once called the White House just to tell the president his son had a cold. This isn't your typical motivational speaker. This is a man who quit his own successful law firm to chase bigger dreams, who started schools in war zones, and who gives out his cell phone number in every book he writes because he genuinely wants to hear from readers. Bob represents a rare breed of dreamer who doesn't just talk about ambitious living but actually lives it out in the most unexpected ways.

As a former attorney turned full-time encourager, diplomat, and humanitarian, Bob has spent decades proving that ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things when they align their deepest desires with purposeful action. His journey from courtroom to classroom in conflict zones demonstrates how authentic faith, coupled with relentless optimism and strategic risk-taking, can transform not just individual lives but entire communities. Through his adventures across six continents and his work with vulnerable children in places like Uganda, Somalia, and Afghanistan, Bob has discovered universal principles about what it takes to move from merely dreaming to actually achieving meaningful ambitions. His story offers profound insights into the intersection of faith and action, the power of authentic relationships, and the courage required to pursue dreams that truly matter.

The foundation of any meaningful ambition begins with three deceptively simple questions that Bob learned from an air traffic controller: Who are you? Where are you? What do you want? These aren't surface-level inquiries but invitations to excavate the deeper motivations that drive our choices and shape our lives. Bob discovered that most people spend years building impressive exteriors while remaining strangers to themselves, like the stroke victim who could identify everyone in the photographs except herself.

Self-discovery requires what Bob calls "getting under the ice cap," moving beyond the convenient narratives we tell ourselves to examine the foundational beliefs that either launch us toward our dreams or keep us perpetually stuck. He learned this lesson through his own limiting beliefs, like his father's well-intentioned warnings about rattlesnakes under every log, which taught him to jump over obstacles that didn't actually exist. These inherited fears and assumptions become invisible barriers that prevent us from recognizing opportunities right in front of us.

The journey toward authentic ambition demands brutal honesty about our current circumstances. Bob emphasizes that we cannot plot a course forward until we acknowledge exactly where we are, not geographically but biographically. This might mean admitting we're in the wrong career, stuck in toxic relationships, or paralyzed by fears that have outlived their usefulness. The courage to name our reality without sugar-coating becomes the starting line for genuine transformation.

What sets Bob's approach apart is his integration of faith with practical action. He argues that comfortable people rarely need God or pursue meaningful ambitions, while desperate people discover both. This divine restlessness, this holy dissatisfaction with mediocrity, becomes the fuel for dreams that extend beyond personal success to encompass service to others. When we understand ourselves as beloved creations with unique gifts and purposes, our ambitions naturally expand from self-focused pursuits to world-changing endeavors.

The process of getting ready to dream isn't about perfecting ourselves before we begin but about embracing our authentic selves, flaws and all, as the raw material for something beautiful. Bob's own journey from someone who couldn't even take his temperature correctly to someone trusted with diplomatic missions illustrates that God specializes in using imperfect people for extraordinary purposes.

The gap between having dreams and pursuing them is often cluttered with the accumulated debris of safe choices, familiar routines, and the fear of looking foolish. Bob learned this lesson while trying to collect fall leaves for his wife's Thanksgiving table, standing paralyzed among thousands of beautiful options, his basket remaining empty because he couldn't decide which ones to choose. This metaphor captures the challenge many face: having so many possibilities that they end up pursuing none of them.

Moving from contemplation to action requires what Bob calls "backing down the kelp," a sailing term for releasing the accumulated drag that slows progress. Just as kelp wraps around a boat's keel and gradually reduces its speed, we accumulate commitments, habits, and relationships that may have served us once but now prevent us from moving toward our most important ambitions. Bob's practice of quitting one thing every Thursday isn't arbitrary cruelty toward his schedule but strategic elimination of anything that doesn't serve his highest purposes.

The transition from dreaming to doing demands a willingness to look ridiculous in service of results. Bob's motorcycle license story perfectly illustrates this principle. His first attempt, arriving on a impressive Harley chopper wearing full leather, resulted in spectacular failure because he prioritized appearance over substance. His second attempt, arriving on a modest yellow Vespa with flower baskets, succeeded because he focused on passing the test rather than maintaining his image. This "pick the Vespa" mentality becomes essential for anyone serious about achieving their ambitions.

Taking meaningful action requires what Bob describes as living "on the edge of yikes," that uncomfortable space where security meets possibility. His work in dangerous places like Somalia and Afghanistan demonstrates that meaningful dreams often demand we leave the green zones of comfort and predictability. This doesn't mean being reckless, but it does mean being willing to risk failure, embarrassment, and discomfort in pursuit of something that matters more than our immediate safety.

The most crucial element in transitioning from dreams to action is recognizing that perfect conditions will never arrive. Bob's airplane analogy of living at 10:34 rather than 10:35 captures this truth. The Wright brothers didn't know their plane would fly when Orville pulled away from the earth at 10:35 AM on December 17, 1903. They had done their preparation, gathered their courage, and decided that attempting something extraordinary was better than the safety of never trying. Every dreamer lives in this same moment of uncertainty, where faith meets action and possibilities become realities.

The pursuit of meaningful ambitions inevitably involves epic failures, and Bob encourages readers to budget for three each year. His harrowing experience in an Indian brothel, where a rescue mission went catastrophically wrong and landed him in jail, illustrates that the bigger the dream, the more spectacular the potential failure. Rather than viewing these setbacks as evidence of poor judgment or divine disapproval, Bob frames them as essential education for anyone attempting to change the world.

Opposition often comes from unexpected sources, particularly from people who have grown comfortable with our current trajectory. When someone breaks out of their established orbit, it can trigger anxiety in friends, family, and colleagues who suddenly question their own choices. Bob learned that pursuing authentic ambitions sometimes means disappointing people who prefer the predictable version of ourselves to the evolving reality of who we're becoming. This resistance isn't necessarily malicious but reflects the human tendency to maintain stability even when that stability prevents growth.

The temptation during setbacks is to interpret every difficulty as a divine message to quit. Bob challenges the common Christian tendency to read God's will into every closed door or unexpected obstacle, arguing that poor preparation or inadequate effort might explain failure better than heavenly intervention. His approach emphasizes persistent learning and adaptation rather than passive waiting for clearer signs from above. When his Canadian lodge burned down after twenty-five years of building, he didn't interpret the fire as God's judgment but as an opportunity to rebuild better.

Faith during failure requires anchoring ourselves to unchanging truths rather than fluctuating circumstances. Bob's rock-climbing story about forgetting to tie into the mountain while belaying his friend illustrates the danger of looking prepared while actually being untethered. Many people mistake the appearance of spiritual maturity for the reality of being securely connected to God. When setbacks reveal these false foundations, the solution isn't to fake greater confidence but to honestly assess our anchoring points and reconnect to what genuinely sustains us.

The most profound discovery Bob shares about navigating setbacks is that our failures often become our greatest qualifications. His malaria experience, initially a near-fatal mistake from skipping preventive medication, later gave him credibility with others facing health crises. His broken marriage to expectations, his business failures, and his diplomatic missteps all became part of the story that enables him to encourage others through their difficulties. This redemptive view of failure transforms setbacks from disqualifying experiences into essential preparation for serving others who face similar challenges.

The ultimate test of any ambition isn't the initial inspiration but the ability to sustain effort over time and create lasting impact. Bob's twenty-five-year commitment to building schools for children in war zones demonstrates how meaningful dreams require what he calls "ground effect" navigation, the ability to stop hovering above our ambitions and actually land them in the real world. This landing process demands both practical skills and the emotional resilience to continue when enthusiasm wanes and obstacles multiply.

Community becomes essential for sustaining long-term ambitions because isolated dreamers rarely have the resources or perspective needed to overcome inevitable challenges. Bob's story about Don Miller's mentorship during his first book-writing process illustrates how experienced guides can provide both practical advice and emotional support during the lonely work of creation. The gifts Don provided for each milestone weren't just encouragement but tangible reminders that someone else believed in Bob's vision enough to invest in its completion.

The most sustainable ambitions are those that serve others while fulfilling personal desires. Bob's approach to his Dream Big conferences, where bowls allowed people to give or take money based on their needs, created an economy of mutual support that extended far beyond the event itself. When one woman took five dollars from the bowl and eventually returned with a duffel bag full of money raised through her jewelry business for African children, it demonstrated how individual dreams can become catalysts for community transformation.

Legacy thinking transforms how we approach our daily choices and long-term commitments. Bob's practice of carrying medals to give away, writing himself hundreds of emails daily, and maintaining absolute availability to anyone who calls isn't about managing his image but about creating systems that prioritize relationships over efficiency. His understanding that people don't follow vision but availability has shaped his entire approach to leadership and influence, making him present for countless conversations that others would consider interruptions.

The final element of landing dreams involves learning to whisper to our hearts about what we're attempting. Bob's friend Kelly, whose transplanted heart required conscious communication about the difficulty of mountain climbing and the appropriateness of rest, provides a powerful metaphor for all ambitious living. We must learn to honestly assess both the challenges we're facing and our need for recovery, speaking truth to ourselves about when to push harder and when to allow ourselves to rest. This internal dialogue between aspiration and wisdom, between pushing forward and knowing when we've done enough, becomes the rhythm that sustains meaningful ambition over a lifetime of purposeful living.

Bob Goff's life demonstrates that the most meaningful ambitions emerge not from perfect planning but from the willingness to risk failure in service of something larger than ourselves. His journey from lawyer to encourager, from comfortable observer to active participant in dangerous places, illustrates that authentic dreams require us to trade security for significance and approval for adventure. The heart of his message isn't that everyone should quit their careers or start schools in war zones, but that each person possesses unique gifts and passions that, when aligned with faith and community, can create extraordinary impact in ordinary circumstances.

The practical wisdom Bob offers centers on two transformative practices: ruthless honesty about our current reality and courageous action toward our deepest desires. This combination of self-awareness and bold steps, supported by authentic relationships and anchored in faith, creates the conditions where dreams transition from private hopes to public realities. Whether someone feels called to write a book, start a business, repair a relationship, or serve their community, Bob's framework provides both the inspiration to begin and the tools to persist through the inevitable challenges that meaningful ambitions bring.