"The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why."
- Mark Twain

"What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?"

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I figured that there would be some sort of video on Youtube interviewing kids about this. I found one rather easily and typed with it as fast as I could…

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Teacher, babysitter, dolphin trainer, hair cutter, author, lawyer, pilot, scientist, paleontologist, movie star, model, police officer, gymnast, dancer, dance teacher, soccer player, basketball player, business man, rock star, singer, cook, artist, film maker, doctor, heart surgeon, pediatrician, nurse, veterinarian, zoo keeper…

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We've come up with many ideas about this one over our childhood.

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Even Kramer in one episode of Seinfeld was going to commit suicide because he knew he could not fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a BANKER! (At least that's what Newman was telling the judge to get out of his speeding ticket.)

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Many of us still have dreams and answers as goals for this ambition. Some adults joke that they still don't know what they want to be when they grow up. Many know but haven't figured out how to get there.

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I would like to shift this question a few ways…

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"What are you EXPECTED to be when you grow up?"

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This may bring a different perspective into it. Perhaps we each individually grappled with the role of expectation while in pursuit of what we wanted - if what we wanted was different than what was expected of us.

  

A parent may have been expecting you to accomplish certain goals - to enter the family business, to pursue a career that was confident of making money. Or they may have simply hoped that you stayed out of trouble, stayed off the streets. The weight of this could be challenging to some.

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Now let's shift this again….

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"What do you want to BE when you grow up?"

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For me, this lends more amongst the qualities we hope to develop as compared to the actual position or job.

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Looking at this leads me to think about one's life. Rarely does it go exactly as our parents would have planned. Rarely does it go exactly like a sibling or classmate.

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The thought for someone of "I was supposed to (be)…" should be erased from one's expectations.  YOU have the ability to be the next...or FIRST...of whatever you would like.

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The movie Pleasantville features a brother and sister that mythically visit a hypothetical 1950s world in black and white.  David and Jennifer proceed to turn the town upside down with color as unexpected scenarios are introduced revealing the town's naiveté.  They eventually return at the end to their original town and environment. David finds his single mom crying after her boyfriend leaves her. She looks at David with tears in her eyes and says "I'm 40. Life's not supposed to be like this. "  David's response is a simple and profound, "It's not supposed to BE anything." 
 

The Life We Lead

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Ultimately, the life we lead is ours alone. It IS an open book. Life's purpose is a journey that sits before you. It is yours and yours alone.

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Forget any expectations you thought that anyone had for you and what you would do or accomplish. Your parents. Your siblings. Certainly your peers. Your teachers. So on and so on.

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This story is about YOU. You're writing it right now. Unfortunately, life is written in pen but you have that pen. And the rest is an open book.

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YOU are at the wheel. Only you can make it yours.

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A song "Homeward Bound" cites a thought provoking chorus asking for release to pursue what they were truly meant to do. This is done with the hopes that they will return one day to those who raised them.

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Bind me not to the pasture

Chain me not to the plow

Set me free to find my calling

And I'll return to you somehow

 

Now let's talk about YOU. Let's keep going.

Hear from Bradford Gosky about the origin of Your Story: "YOUR Story" - Pillar Intro | The IniGO Pillars