I'm 18 years old, I've saw countless movies, read numerous books, shadowed almost 15 people in different occupations. Hell, I've even tried watching a number of inspirational Ted Talks. But here I sit, surrounded but the invaluable, unanswered question. What do I want to be when I grow up?
It is a question that is thrown your way almost every day from the moment you learn to speak. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" We begin with the same fairy-tale like answers, a princess, astronaut, cowboy. But as we grow older it becomes so much more "realistic", I want to be a psychologist, a doctor, a nurse, a teacher, etc. And to this I beg the question, why must we continuously be thinking about who we will be ten years from now?
We are in a time of our lives where we are constantly expected to be living in the future. Who we will be ten years from now, the homework due next week, the test next Friday, how that paycheck will be spent when we get it. Some people may sit and wonder, whats the big deal? Shouldn't we always have our eyes set on the future? And I'm here to tell you no, and let me tell you why.
As a college student, I'm constantly asked about my next steps, my plans as I go forth. But what I'm never being asked, is what I feel about today. How I want to be in this moment right now. This is the thought and question that is so very often thrown to the wayside for people. Because we're not taught on how to react to the moment in time.
The fact of the matter is that we are at the beginning of our lives, and giving us the task to choose the path we will take the rest of our lives is a ridiculously daunting task. And if that doesn't help you also have to take into account that nowadays, you have two options in life, get a degree in what you love, but may not end up with a job OR choose the stable, reliable job that gives you no little to no satisfaction whatsoever.
Growing up, I remember reading over and over again the quote on John Lennon stating that when asked what he wanted to be when he grows up, he stated happily. His teachers told him he did not understand the assignment and he had said they didn't understand life. Ten years ago, I would have never understood the full meaning of growing up to be happy. But now, that's all I hope to be down the line.
Life is a winding road, that sometimes feels like the curves never stop and the road could never end. So while we are on this journey, we should always remember to stop focusing so hard on the destination, because as they say the ride is the best part.
