Step 6: Expect setbacks and build a system

What It Really Takes to Pursue a Moonshot

Let’s be honest. Ambition is exciting until you’re staring down the possibility that you might fall flat on your face. Moonshots bring that tension out of hiding. They ask more of us. They stretch us. They expose the gap between who we are now and who we’d need to become.

Earlier this month, I stood on a TEDx stage in the Philippines and delivered a talk on career grief. That talk was a moonshot in the making for years and years. Not because of the stage or the lights, but because of what it represented: the courage to give language to something people feel but rarely name.

A moonshot asks you to put truth above comfort. And that takes real effort.

Here’s what I’ve learned: the bigger the moonshot, the more important it becomes to anchor yourself in your values and purpose. Otherwise you won’t have the clarity or stamina to go the distance.

This blog is about how to find your version of a moonshot—one that isn’t based on external validation or cultural scripts, but on a deeper, spiritual part of you.

Why Moonshots Matter (And Why They’re Hard)

People often imagine a moonshot as some splashy public achievement. But moonshots don’t have to look grand to be meaningful. What matters is the stretch and taking you to the crusty edge of discomfort.

The hard truth is, moonshots carry a high likelihood of failure. That’s what makes them moonshots. Effort increases. Uncertainty increases. The gremlins get louder.

This is why values and purpose matter so much. They create the emotional spine you’ll lean on when things get wobbly (and I promise you, they will.) Without that spine, it’s easy to slip into playing small, pleasing others, or chasing outcomes you don’t even want.

My Moonshot with a capital “M” is to expand access to possibility. That means no one navigating a career setback feels shut out of their future, and anyone who wants to pursue a moonshot has a real chance to try.

Both demand that I stay grounded in purpose so the focus stays on possibility, not performance.

How to Identify Your Moonshot

Here’s a streamlined version of the process I use with clients—and the one I come back to myself.

Step One: Pay attention to what breaks your heart

The spark of a moonshot often comes from what feels intolerable. When something in your world hits a nerve, keeps you awake, or leaves you thinking “this can’t be it,” that’s usually where purpose starts to flicker.

Give yourself space to notice it. Walk. Journal. Sit quietly.

A moonshot is often born from the moment you realize, “I can’t watch this keep happening.”

Step Two: Answer the call and imagine how you’d meet it

When something breaks your heart, it’s not random. It’s a call. Step Two is about picking up the phone. Ask yourself: If I had the freedom, the courage, and the support to address this, what would I actually do? How would I help solve it?

If your answer feels scary or unreasonable, stay with it. That’s the fingerprint of a moonshot. Goals keep you comfortable. Moonshots pull you toward the edge of what you believe is possible.

Don’t rush to make any of it real yet. This is the dreamer phase. Let the vision stretch. Let it be bigger than your current capacity. Imagine the version of you who would do something about this—before you worry about how to make it happen.

Step Three: Identify the next first step

Once you’ve answered the call and let yourself imagine what’s possible, bring it back to earth in the simplest way: What’s the next first step? Not the whole plan. Not the five-year strategy. Just the one move that starts the momentum.

For some people, it’s sketching a loose business plan. For others, it’s gathering an informal advisory board, talking to someone who’s walked this road, or hiring a coach for structure and accountability.

The point isn’t to map everything out. It’s to create enough direction that your idea stops hovering in the abstract and starts taking shape in the real world. A moonshot becomes more real the moment you choose a step you can actually take.

Step Four: Check your motivation before you go any further

After you take that first step, pause. Sometimes an idea looks inspiring at the start, but when you look closely, it’s being fueled by someone else’s expectations. Before you get too far down the road, ask yourself: Does this honor my values and purpose, or am I chasing something that doesn’t belong to me?

Moonshots only work when they’re rooted in what matters most to you. This is the moment to be clear about why you’re doing it and who you’re doing it for. If the motivation feels solid, keep going. If it feels borrowed, forced, or performative, this is your chance to recalibrate before the stakes get higher.

Step Five: Decide when you’ll walk away

Now that you’ve checked your motivation and you’re still committed, take a moment to define the boundaries of that commitment. Before you get too far in, get clear about the circumstances that would tell you it’s time to step back.

This isn’t about quitting. It’s about honoring your wellbeing and your values. Ask yourself: What would make this no longer right for me?

It might be an impact on your health, a shift in your family, a financial line you won’t cross, or new information that changes the landscape.

Naming these conditions early protects you from making tough decisions in a moment of panic or pressure. It gives you a steady place to stand when things get complicated.

If it helps, write a short note to your future self about why you said yes to this moonshot and what you want to remember if you eventually choose to walk away.

Step Six: Expect setbacks and build a system for when things get rough

Moonshots are, by definition, unlikely to succeed. That isn’t pessimism — it’s the nature of aiming for something that stretches you. Which means things will get rough at some point. Not “might.” Will.

This is why Step Five mattered so much. When you know your quitting conditions, you won’t confuse a hard moment with a signal to stop.

Now your job is to build a system that helps you move through the inevitable bumps instead of falling apart during them. Think of it as your emergency protocol.

Ask yourself: When I hit the wall — emotionally, strategically, or practically — what supports me best? Some people book a therapy appointment, call a truth-telling friend, or check in with a coach before their thoughts spiral. Others move their bodies, walk off the adrenaline, or give themselves 24 hours before making any decisions.

The details don’t matter as much as the clarity. Create your version of an oxygen mask, a clear route back to center, a steadying handrail. Something you can turn to when everything in you wants to collapse or run.

Your system doesn’t prevent the setback — it protects your capacity to respond to it.

Step Seven: Become the person this moonshot will ask you to be

Every moonshot comes with an identity shift. You can’t stay exactly who you are and expect to reach something that stretches you. Your identity will most likely change and expand as you move forward.

This isn’t about reinventing yourself overnight. It’s about building the qualities, skills, and support you’ll need to sustain the effort. Think about athletes: they train, they surround themselves with people who hold them accountable, and they review what’s working so they can adjust.

Ask yourself: Who is the version of me that can carry this moonshot? What qualities does she lean on? What habits support her? Who’s on her team?

Then practice small versions of those qualities now. Join communities that keep you honest. Seek mentors who tell the truth. Review your progress with real data, not gremlin commentary.

A moonshot isn’t just about the outcome. It’s about who you become on the way there.

Bottom Line

At its core, a moonshot isn’t about chasing something impressive. It’s about responding to what breaks your heart and choosing to do something about it. When you root that choice in your values and purpose, you give yourself the clarity and stamina to keep going even when the road gets uneven.

Moonshots take real effort. They’re uncertain. They stretch your identity and test your resilience. That’s why the early steps matter so much — listening for the spark, imagining how you’d meet it, taking the next first step, checking your motivation, defining your boundaries, and building a system for when things get rough.

The question isn’t whether you’ll face setbacks. You will. The question is whether you’re willing to follow the part of you that’s asking for something bigger, something truer, something that aligns with who you’re becoming.

Consider this:

* What becomes possible when you trust the pull toward what matters most?

* What shifts when you let purpose guide your reach instead of perfection?

* What might open up if you allowed yourself to try, knowing the effort itself will change you?

A moonshot isn’t a guarantee. It’s an invitation. And sometimes that’s enough to reshape what you believe is possible for your life.

Before You Go: For Producers and Filmmakers - The Moonshot Collective

A new 2026 cohort is forming.

If you’ve ever wondered what might become possible with steady support around your creative ambitions, that’s the heart of The Moonshot Collective. It’s a yearlong community for filmmakers and producers who want guidance that isn’t about script notes, but about the spiritual, strategic, and tactical parts of getting work made.

We focus on clarity, confidence, and forward movement in an industry that can feel isolating without the right people in your corner.

A new cohort begins in January 2026. More info here.

If you know a producer or filmmaker who might benefit, please pass this along.

CHAPTERS:

00:00:00 Intro

00:01:33 About Me

00:02:14 Why Moonshots Matter (And Why They’re Hard)

00:03:36 How To Identify Your Moonshot

00:03:46 Step 1: Pay Attention To What Breaks Your Heart

00:04:20 Step 2: Answer The Call And Imagine How You’d Meet It

00:05:40 Step 3: Identify The Next First Step

00:06:49 Step 4: Check Your Motivation Before You Go Any Further

00:07:52 Step 5: Decide When You’ll Walk Away

00:09:34 Step 6: Expect Setbacks And Build A System 

00:11:00 Step 7: Become The Person This Moonshot Will Ask You To Be

00:12:02 Bottom Line

00:13:25 2026 Cohort For Filmmakers And Producers 

00:14:21 Join the Moonshot Mentor Community

00:14:34 Outro

If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.

Related Content

* Why Can’t I Just Start Today?

* How Perfectionism Leads to Imposter Syndrome

* What You’ve Got Wrong About Procrastination

Perks for Paid Subscribers

Moonshot Mentor paid subscribers get weekly journal prompts to spark personal and professional growth, guided meditations to help them center, reflect, and reset, plus exclusive career development and career grief workshops that build clarity, resilience, and momentum.

Journal Prompts

Here are five journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor subscribers. These questions will help you explore the values, purpose, and identity shifts connected to your own moonshot.