You know Chris,
I always said that I didn’t want to work in a place or a career where I was not going to enjoy my work. I wanted to make sure that I LOVED what I was going to do…
The problem was, I had NO idea what I liked.
In fact, when people asked me, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” I always hated that question. I had NO idea! I would freeze.
Signed,
Will I grow up?
~~~~~~~~~~
Well will I grow up, I’m going to answer this two ways…
One, you DO know the answer to “what do you want to be when you grow up” and I’m going to tell you how to “remember” the answer.
Two, rest assured that the answer you’re going to “remember” in step one, will and HAS TO evolve over time.
Let’s begin with “how” to remember…
If you think back to a time when you were a child/young adult/teenager, there was something that made you excited and eager to learn more and do more with what you learned.
It may have been showing your friends how to do something you learned, working on cars, gaming, tinkering with electronics or something similar. I GUARANTEE you that there was something you “loved” as a child. And if you had the capacity to say so, you would have said, “I’d do this the rest of my life and feel like it’s not work at all.”
I’ll give you an example.
I loved sharing the lessons I learned in grade school with the other children on my block. It was fun playing “school” and teaching them what I learned. I even recall telling my mother that I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up. I have a sister who went to college (first in our family) and received her teaching certificate.
From my mother’s perspective, she thought my being a teacher would be limiting, so she suggested I consider business. However, will I grow up, even though I pursued a corporate career, I’ve gotten to do exactly what I first loved…teaching.
I’m not in a formal classroom, but in every position I’ve held, in setting up my coaching/consulting business and even now well into my third career, I’ve been out in the world sharing what I’ve learned with anyone who is interested!
So take some, reflective, time to think about what it was that as a child/young adult/teenager jazzed you…and made you feel like THIS is me!
Which leads to #2…
Whatever it was that you felt you could do the rest of your life, will undoubtedly evolve.
Just as I wanted to be a teacher, I became a speaker, a technical guide for customers, a professional coach, a writer, a strategist, a blogger…etc. All of these paths were a means for me to keep on teaching! It simply morphed into so many avenues that gave me the experience, money and opportunity to do what I always wanted to do when I grew up…teach.
Your first step, will I grow up, is get quiet and remember. It’s there and it’s waiting for you to acknowledge it.
Then look at where you are now and how you may actually be doing it, in a new form, new format or at a different level.
Finally, never ever feel obligated to respond to that question.
It’s is your life’s journey and it takes the path that YOU want. Just let people know that you are still evolving and pursuing the thing you love…end of discussion.
We never truly grow up, so you’re right on schedule my friend!
~ Let life love you!
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