Most of us can remember being asked as a child - “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. But what we probably didn’t realise was that our answer then was a fair prediction of how well we are doing right now.  

A 2022 study ‘All I have to do is dream? The role of aspirations in intergenerational mobility and well-being' looked into how our goals as children influence our life outcomes. They found that the link between aspirations and achievements goes beyond above background and ability.  

Using a dataset of the National Child Development Study (NCDS), they followed the lives of over 17,000 people in England, Scotland and Wales born in a single week of 1958.  

They found that fostering high aspirations, particularly in those from disadvantaged backgrounds, is likely to have a serious impact on achievement.  

When combined with parental aspirations the study found that these combined aspirations had more influence than ability, socioeconomic background or gender on success and life satisfaction.  

It’s pretty simple - high aspirations drive higher achievements later in life. 

It feels obvious to say that encouraging greater aspirations helps people achieve more. But how many of us have doubted whether we should go for that promotion or start that business we’ve always dreamed of.  

And it’s never too late to start! The study found that whilst negative effects of aspiration gaps may appear in early working lives (especially in men), as we approach 50 those effects “fade away” and life satisfaction increases as we exceed our expectations.  

So even if it feels tough now, those goals you’ve set will see you through. Just make sure to surround yourself with people who also want to see you succeed!  

At GM Business Growth Hub, we have over a decade of experience helping people meet and exceed their ambitions.  

We help you move forward in what you want to achieve, whether it's starting a business, managing a team, getting more funding to grow your business or taking a course to learn new skills. 

Start your journey with us today – and be what you always wanted to be, a success.