Your Purpose is Within Your Childhood

"What do you want to be when you're older?" A question many have been familiar with since kindergarten. Our answers were creative and changed with the seasons. We wanted to be doctors, professional athletes, teachers, artists, actresses/actors, astronauts, dancers, scientists. We weren't told "You can't." Our financial status didn't limit our minds. Stress wasn't a factor. We were young and full of potential, so our dreams were encouraged.

As kids, we were offered general courses, like history, math, science and english, to broaden our education and transform us into robots. Robots that couldn't just excel in one topic, but had to excel in every challenge presented.

As we got older, reality set its course. We realized that we couldn't excel in every challenge presented. It's nearly impossible. Wealth, social standing, education, gender, sexuality, appearance, talent. All qualities that defined us began to restrict us. We realized that there is a wage gap. There are stigmas. School is stressful. College is a business. Many have unfair advantages and use those advantages to turn the world into a place of greed, racism and sexism.

When it came closer to deciding our futures, our talents and interests were stifled. Sure, it's great that you love to dance, but dancing doesn't pay the bills. Being an artist doesn't give you the same respect as a person with a "real job." You're a talented soccer player, but chances are you won't become a professional. Oh yes, of course we need more teachers, but finding a job is difficult, and the pay won't support you. You can't do that. You can't be that. You can't.

This has become our reality.

What happened to our dreams of being doctors, professional athletes, teachers, artists, actresses and actors, astronauts, dancers and scientists? Why have we let society crush us into doing things we have to do rather than doing things we want to do? What happened to the kids we were? Would our five-year-old self be proud of us? Will our future selves be proud of us?

The problem isn't how we answered the question — the problem is how we interpreted our answers. The question isn't "What do you want to be when you're older?" but rather "Who do you want to be when you're older?"

What characteristics do you think of when you think of an artist, a professional athlete or a scientist? Perhaps you think an artist is creative, independent, inspiring and innovative; a professional athlete is hardworking, supportive and strong; a scientist is curious, smart and persistent.

That is who we wanted to be when we were older. We wanted to be adventurous like an astronaut, caring like a teacher and confident like an actor. Of course, not everyone will become the exact profession they sought out to be when they were kids, because life is unfair. Our hearts change. However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't strive to be the positive things that come along with being the dreams we wanted to be.

Even as adults, we should always ask ourselves "Who do you want to be?" Yes, money is important when pursuing a profession, but never forget your childhood answers, and continue to create new ones. We are people, not robots. We are allowed to change and empower ourselves for the better. We shouldn't be stuck on the past and crush ourselves for not doing what our younger selves wanted us to do. We should become the qualities that make us better people, so we can make a better life and better world.

We should do things our future selves and past selves with thank us for.

Your friend,
Jane