“If you can dream it, you can do it.”
Maybe you read that, and your eyes immediately rolled out of your head, or you gagged a little into your sleeve. It’s cheesy. It’s cliché. But, annoyingly enough, there’s a reason clichés become clichés. (Hint: it’s because they’re true!)
Last month, I went for a walk with 2026 20 Under 40 honoree Claire Van Doren. If you’ve met Claire, you know she’s like if a firecracker and nuclear fission had a baby together (in the best way, FYI). I didn’t know her before she was selected for this year’s class, but after photoshoot day and spending two hours walking around Stephens Lake Park with her, I can say she’s one of those people you leave a conversation with and think, That… was… amazing.
At one point, we got to talking about the idea of being “delusionally optimistic.” Being delusionally optimistic can make you do things you otherwise might not have the confidence for: applying for your dream job, running for office, submitting your story for publication, etc. If you’re convinced something could work out, you’re more likely to take the shot. You put yourself out there, even when there’s still a pretty good chance you might hear “no. And when you do hear “no,” (and trust me, you will), you don’t see your dream as D.O.A. Instead, you look at it as a learning opportunity. What can you change? What’s the next move?
After spending the afternoon with Claire, I texted her, “You’re so cool, I wanna be you in five years.” She quickly responded with something I hadn’t expected: “Well that works well because I wanna be YOU in five years.”
It’s easy to look at someone like Claire — someone who is accomplished, confident, and seemingly very sure of herself — and think, Oh, she has it figured out. I’m not there yet, but wish I was. Except Claire had just told me that she doesn’t always feel like she belongs, either. She told me about having a moment around the other 20 Under 40 members where she thought, Wait, am I supposed to be here? Maybe there’s been some kind of mistake.
Which is funny, because Claire is exactly the kind of person I’d expect to be on a 20 Under 40 list. But apparently, even she can walk into a room full of impressive people and wonder if she somehow slipped through the cracks. It was nice to realize that feeling like an imposter doesn’t necessarily mean you’re an imposter. You can be doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing and still have that stupid voice in your head asking, Are you sure?
That’s where the “delusional” part comes in. Sometimes, you just have to believe it before you feel it. Believe you belong. Believe you’re capable. Believe you’re allowed to try.
I think that’s one of the things I’ve loved most about getting to know this year’s 20 Under 40 class. Yes, these are people doing really impressive things. They’re starting businesses, leading organizations, creating things, serving their communities, and making their marks while still under 40. But they’re also just people who sometimes second-guess themselves, take a wrong turn, and wonder if they’re doing enough.
As we celebrate the accomplishments of the 2026 20 Under 40 class, I hope you’ll also get a glimpse of the people behind them. The weird, ambitious, uncertain, hilarious, hardworking humans who are figuring it out as they go. Maybe they’re not all completely sure where they’ll end up. Maybe none of us really know. But we can all be just delusional enough to believe we’ll always end up where we need to be.
Congratulations to our 2026 class. Keep dreaming big, taking the shot, and figuring it out as you go.
