What do you want to be when you grow up?
Think how many times as a child or young adult that question was posed to you.
Think about your answer.
Did you say a firefighter, doctor, teacher, nurse, businessman, astronaut, baker or candlestick maker (couldn’t resist!)?
Many people grow up and make their childhood dreams a reality. They forge successful careers and support themselves and their families.
Sometimes those careers nurture us, other times they don’t.
And when they don’t, that’s when we realize we’ve confused what we do with who we are.
We presume the “want to be” in that childhood question means a profession. We don’t think of the question asking us what we want to stand for or be known for.
Confusing doing and being
Shouldn’t it be a bit of both?
Perhaps we should start teaching our kids to respond to the question in two parts: both a profession and attributes. Something like:
I want to be an astronaut, and I want to make people happy.
I want to be a business leader who motivates people be the best they can be.
I want to be a teacher who helps people learn how to think.
By encouraging young people to include both a “doing” and a “being” in their answer, we’re aiding them in thinking beyond economic terms.
Based on how most of us question this question now, the “being” part is left out.
It only gets to center stage when we have a performance problem or a life crisis or reach a confusing crossroads—a time when our unconsidered “soft” skills have hit a “hard” problem.
What say you—should we expect a different answer to that childhood question?
Or, maybe, should we be asking a different question? And, if we should, what do you think it should be?
Image source before quote: morgueFile.com
