“The universe meets you at the level of your audacity.”
I read this line somewhere, and it stayed with me because it felt so true. Everyone who has gone from good to great has had a little audacity in them. Big, hairy, audacious goals never scared them. They chased them anyway.
I’ve never been one to shy away from dreaming big. If anything, I believe our dreams should be as big as we can possibly imagine them. So one evening, I said it out loud to my husband: “I want a big life. I want to be on Forbes’ 40 Under 40.”
Since many of you don’t know me yet, here’s a small detail that matters: I just turned 37.
My ten-year-old was listening, and his curious mind got to work right away.
“What is Forbes?”
“What is 40 Under 40?”
And then, with the brutal honesty only a child has: “But you just have three years left.”
I laughed and told him, “If Emergent can become a unicorn in less than six months, then I still have time.”
I said it lightly. Little did I know what kind of impression it was leaving behind.
He kept thinking about it. A few days later, out of nowhere, he asked me, “What’s the lowest one? Like, is there something smaller than 40 Under 40?” I told him there’s even a 20 Under 20. He nodded seriously, filing it away somewhere in that busy little head.
Then came another evening. I wasn’t feeling well, but I had recently moved teams at work, and I told my son I needed to go to the office the next day.
“But you’re sick,” he said.
I explained that I was feeling better, and more than that, I had important work to do. I didn’t want anyone to think I shy away from responsibility. Moments like these, I told him, are when you build credibility and grow. “I’m working towards my next promotion too!”
He looked at me and asked, “But if you’re only thinking about a promotion, how will you get into 40 Under 40?”
It struck me hard.
Somewhere between deadlines, new teams and everyday responsibilities, I had quietly forgotten my own dream. I had said it out loud, meant it with my whole heart, and then let the routine of life tuck it away. But he hadn’t forgotten. My ten-year-old had been holding on to my dream for me.
That’s the thing about big dreams. Dreaming them is the easy part. Remembering them on ordinary Tuesdays, when you’re tired and busy and doing what’s expected of you, is much harder. That’s why we all need cheerleaders: people who nudge us, push us, and remind us of our dreams when we’ve forgotten them ourselves.
Sometimes those cheerleaders are mentors or friends. And sometimes they’re ten years old, asking questions at the dinner table and holding us to the audacity we once spoke out loud.
So here’s my question for you: who reminds you of your dreams? And if you’ve forgotten one, maybe this is your reminder.
The universe is still waiting to meet you at the level of your audacity.
With love,
Jyoti
Some things to check before you publish:
- The list name. The famous “40 Under 40” list is run by Fortune, not Forbes. Forbes’s main list is 30 Under 30, which you’d no longer qualify for at 37. In India, Economic Times also has a well-known “40 Under Forty.” I kept “Forbes” because that’s what you said in the moment, and it’s your real story. But a reader may point this out, so you could add a playful line like “(technically it’s Fortune’s list, but my son wasn’t checking).” Similarly, “20 Under 20” is best known as the Thiel Fellowship, not a Forbes list.
- The Emergent claim. Please confirm that Emergent actually reached a $1B valuation in under six months before you publish it. If you aren’t certain, you could soften it to “if startups today can grow faster than anyone imagined…”
- Your son’s last line. Your original could be read two ways. He might have meant “going to office while sick won’t get you there,” or “a promotion is too small a goal.” I wrote it as the second reading because it gives the story its punch. If he meant the first, tell me and I’ll adjust it.
add a playful line like “(technically it’s Fortune’s list, but my son wasn’t checking).” Similar questions followed whats 30 under 30 or 20 under 20… how young you can get there.. add “if startups today can grow faster than anyone imagined…” Help me improve “a promotion is too small a goal.” I wrote it as the second reading because it gives the story its punch. If he meant the first, tell me and I’ll adjust it.
Revising the article with new sections and sharper moments.
My Littlest Cheerleader
“The universe meets you at the level of your audacity.”
I read this line somewhere, and it stayed with me because it felt so true. Everyone who has gone from good to great has had a little audacity in them. Big, hairy, audacious goals never scared them. They chased them anyway.
I’ve never been one to shy away from dreaming big. If anything, I believe our dreams should be as big as we can possibly imagine them. So one evening, I said it out loud to my husband: “I want a big life. I want to be on Forbes’ 40 Under 40.” (Technically it’s Fortune’s list, but my son wasn’t checking.)
Since many of you don’t know me yet, here’s a small detail that matters: I just turned 37.
My ten-year-old was listening, and his curious mind got to work right away.
“What is Forbes?”
“What is 40 Under 40?”
And then, with the brutal honesty only a child has: “But you just have three years left.”
I laughed and told him, “If startups today can grow faster than anyone imagined, then I still have time.”
I said it lightly. Little did I know what kind of impression it was leaving behind.
He kept thinking about it. Over the next few days, the questions kept coming. “Is there a 30 Under 30?” “What about 20 Under 20?” And my favourite: “How young can you be and still get there?” I could almost see him doing the maths in his head, working out his own timeline.
Then came another evening. I wasn’t feeling well, but I had recently moved teams at work, and I told my son I needed to go to the office the next day.
“But you’re sick,” he said.
I explained that I was feeling better, and more than that, I had important work to do. I didn’t want anyone to think I shy away from responsibility. Moments like these, I told him, are when you build credibility and grow. “And I’m working towards my next promotion too!”
He thought about it for a second, then looked up at me, completely puzzled.
“A promotion? But Mumma, how will that get you into 40 Under 40?”
It struck me hard.
He wasn’t being rude. He was genuinely confused. In his mind, his mother had announced a dream as big as the sky, and now she was celebrating a single step on a staircase. To him, it simply didn’t add up.
And he was right. Somewhere between deadlines, new teams and everyday responsibilities, I had quietly shrunk my dream down to the size of my next appraisal. A promotion is a good goal, and I still want it. But it was never meant to be the destination. It was supposed to be one step towards something much bigger, and I had started treating the step as the whole journey.
I had said my dream out loud, meant it with my whole heart, and then let the routine of life tuck it away. But he hadn’t forgotten. My ten-year-old had been holding on to my dream for me.
That’s the thing about big dreams. Dreaming them is the easy part. Remembering them on ordinary Tuesdays, when you’re tired and busy and doing what’s expected of you, is much harder. That’s why we all need cheerleaders: people who nudge us, push us, and remind us of our dreams when we’ve forgotten them ourselves.
Sometimes those cheerleaders are mentors or friends. And sometimes they’re ten years old, asking questions at the dinner table and holding us to the audacity we once spoke out loud.
So here’s my question for you: who reminds you of your dreams? And if you’ve forgotten one, maybe this is your reminder.
The universe is still waiting to meet you at the level of your audacity.
With love,
Jyoti
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