8 People Talk About Their Wildest Dreams

You know what? Adulting is hard. And it feels like the older we get, the harder it is to just leave everything behind and do exactly what we want. There are a million excuses, both valid and not, for keeping your life exactly the way it is — whether it's bills, friends and family, career, expectations — or yourself, getting in your own way with doubts and worries. There's nothing wrong with being responsible and practical, but what if there were nothing holding you back? What would you do if you didn't have a single care or limitation in the world?

Inspired by The CW's upcoming series No Tomorrow , we asked eight millennials this exact question. In the show, the main characters Evie and Xavier come up with an "apocalyst," a list of things to do before the end of the world, which Xavier thinks will come in eight months and 12 days. In real life, you don't have to wait until the world ends to get cracking on your own apocalyst. Some of the people we asked had some common wishes, like traveling more or finally finishing that novel, while others had some wilder dreams, like opening a cat sanctuary or becoming a mall Santa's elf. Maybe it's not realistic to disrupt your whole life to do something crazy, but it's good to think about every now and then because some of your dreams are achievable right now . Maybe there's not as much holding you back as you think!

See below for some apocalyst inspirations, and make sure to follow Evie and Xavier’s adventures when No Tomorrow premieres on The CW October 4th — Tuesdays at 9/8c.

1. Take The Stage Without Self-Doubt

"Anxiety and fear are the primary things holding me back, but if those things magically disappeared, I'd want to try to make it as a nightclub singer. It's always been a daydream of mine to perform on a piano in that sort of '30s cabaret way — I'd probably be singing "Dream A Little Dream of Me" — but IRL, my self-doubt always manages to trump my dreams of performing. But self doubt be gone, I would full-on Casablanca it." —Arielle, 27

2. Travel The World, And Write About It

"Passport, backpack, camera, plenty of notebooks, and I’m off to go travel the world and get started on my international bestseller. I’d try to live in as many different places as I can — seaside cottage, cabin in the mountains, hammock in the rainforest, loft in the artists’ quarters — and tap into all of the romantic wanderlust clichés." — Nancy, 23

3. Pursue My Weird Interests

"Here's the truth about me: I consider myself to be very ambitious regarding my career, but there's never a day that goes by that I don't wish I could make enough money to stay afloat by doing odd jobs. I'm a Christmas fanatic and have half-joked about being an elf at a mall's Santa display, but I absolutely love kids so this is something I actually do wish I could make a career out of. Same thing with my love of tea and wanting to open a tea shop, and my interest in craft beer and becoming a certified cicerone. What's holding me back from doing any of this, though? Well, everything. Not having the money to quit my job, not wanting to be judged my family or friends or thought of as wasting my potential, and not having the confidence to live a lifestyle with so many unanswered questions. But the upside: I'm always dreaming, and have some awesome ideas for what to do when I retire. (Come on, 2055!)" —Allison, 26

4. Be My Own Boss, Wherever I Am

"I'd run a personal branding and consulting business from my laptop and have the flexibility to work wherever I wanted. I'd intentionally make time for traveling and would consider moving my future family to a different country for a year so that we could experience a new culture together. Time would be made for both work, because I love people and I love what I do, and for finding everyday pleasures in a slower paced life." —Lisa, 31

5. Surround Myself With What I Love

"I would buy a house in my favorite part of Queens right by Astoria Park, and renovate it to be a haven for cats. It'd have the works: A fully functional "catio," the best scratching posts that money could buy, and cozy cat ledges mounted on the walls for optimal climbing and lounging. I'd put a cat nip farm in my backyard, and experiment with different blends (and test them out on my many cats), selling the most well received nips at local flea markets and fairs. I'd live out my glory days as a cat lady, and devote all my free time to making my feline roommates Insta-famous, with the hopes that one of them would rise to Internet cat fame thanks to my carefully curated cat posts." —Danielle, 28

6. Expand My Horizons

"If I could do anything at all — if money and responsibilities weren’t an issue — I would go on a lengthy trip around the world before settling in a Spanish-speaking country to work on my language skills and volunteer as a teacher of some sort." —Nina, 32

7. Stop Trying To Prove Myself

"The main thing holding me back is the sense that I need to prove something. I want to be a successful writer, and I want to not just "make it" in New York City but make it big in some way — I realize that's pretty vague. If I didn't have that pressure, I'd probably live in a much smaller city, write for pleasure with no thought of publication, work a day job involving lots of human interaction and low stress (like being a massage therapist or a barista), spend my nights laughing and drinking wine with a great group of friends, and definitely own a big dog. It sounds like these things should be easy to achieve now, but I'm not ready to let go of my City dreams just yet!" —Stephan, 30

8. Face My Biggest Fear

"I'm super afraid of heights, but if I didn't have anything to lose, I'd face my biggest fear and go skydiving!" —Marina, 22

This article is sponsored by The CW's No Tomorrow, series premiere October 4th – Tuesdays at 9/8c.

Photos: Fotolia (9)