There’s a very well-written series on Hulu called “The Booth at the End”. Season 1 has some of the most suspenseful scenes I’ve ever seen, and yet they only use a single set, which is an incredible feat. The writing is just fantastic, from a characterization perspective, a thematic perspective, and a structure perspective. I can’t speak for season two, but season one is great for writers to study.

The reason I bring it up, specifically, is one of the themes that run through the show. Our lives are not limited by capability as much as imagination. You can only achieve as far as you can envision. Frequently in the show, people marvel at what they can achieve once they begin to consider HOW they would achieve it. And just as often, they are unable to create a better outcome for themselves, not because they are incapable, but because they cannot allow themselves to imagine something better.

It’s amazing how different the questions “Can I do this?” and “How can I do this?” really are. One is impossible to really answer, because it is so vague and intangible. The time frame is unknown, the odds high, and usually when we ask ourselves that question, we do not yet have the skills needed to achieve whatever “this” is. However, once the question becomes “HOW can I do this?” the task gains clarity. Needed skills and resources can be identified. Steps can be outlined. Current capabilities assessed. The task becomes attainable, if distant. There are limits to this, of course. And sometimes there are boundaries that we truly can’t cross. Laws of physics that cannot be broken.

Not that we know of, at least. Not yet.

What kind of life can you imagine for yourself, and how could you get there?