Category : Articles

Sub Category : Lifestyle

All of us here were all once young in age, in fact, there are also those among us here who are still young. I am sure we all have been asked one question more than most and more than once…. what do you want to BE when you grow up?

You may remember what you said. Perhaps your answer was one of the common choices: teacher, lawyer, or doctor. Perhaps not. Perhaps you are one of the estimated 2 in 10 people who have followed the path of that first dream and fulfilled it.  

Whatever we answered, I'm pretty sure at that point of time we felt that growing up meant ‘doing’ and that ‘doing’ was what grownups did—a job/career.

Then as got older and as school finished, we were sometimes asked…. what do you want to DO with your life?

You may remember what you said. Perhaps your answer was one of the common choices: to take further education, start an apprenticeship/training, or take time for travel. Perhaps not. Perhaps you were one of the estimated 1 in 4 people who didn’t know what to do.

Whatever we answered, I'm pretty sure we felt that ‘doing’ was an activity and ‘growing up,’ an accomplishment we were supposed to meet as quickly as possible. And when we said or did something that didn’t meet the grade, we were reminded to ‘grow up.’ 
 
As time passed, perhaps we felt the pull of what was expected by society. Perhaps we felt the joy of knowing what our purpose can bring. Perhaps we felt the sadness and disappointment when all the ‘doing’ came to naught. 

Whatever happened, the question of 'what do you want to be when you grow up?' had never returned, as other questions took its place. Perhaps like me, you spent time trying out different things, where the doing didn’t match a childhood dream. Perhaps like me, you are no longer young. Perhaps like me, the question…. what do I want to be when I grow up?.... has returned for you.

Perhaps like me, it’s returned because you didn’t know what you wanted to do when you were young. Perhaps like me, you weren’t ready to know. Perhaps like me, you realize the questions, what do you want to BE?.... and what do you want to DO?.... are not the same. 

Perhaps like me, your calling has always been less about ‘growing up’ than ‘growing within’ and although we must ‘do,’ we also must ‘be.’ Perhaps, when we focus on our ‘being,’ the ‘doing’ is revealed.

I am older now, and it’s okay that no one asks what I want to be when I grow up…. only me; so I have decided what I want to be as I grow within…

I want to BE happy. 
I want to BE an encourager. 
I want to BE a light that reveals a path so someone finds the way out of their darkness.  

Perhaps you are one of the estimated 10 in 10 people who believe these are all possible.

And just perhaps, when we change how we see our questions, we change how we see our answers, we change how we see our lives.

Perhaps, Shakespeare was right…. 'To be, or not to be,’ is an important question to answer after all. 

Perhaps all of this is rubbish. Perhaps not, but it doesn’t matter, because what ‘perhaps’ does for us is to keep us curious and to not accept that life is only about doing and that the true purpose of what ‘I want to be’ is a journey to a destination where we never arrive…. just as it should be. 

Perhaps….