What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

Posted on July 05, 2012 by Lori Friesen, One of Thousands of Spirituality Coaches on Noomii.

One of the questions we love to ask children, is “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. Do you remember what your answer would have been when you were 5 or 8 or 10 years old? Your answer might be quite revealing, especially in relation to the career you actually decided upon (or did your career decide upon you?).

When children face this pivotal question, their answer is often an archetypal career that resonates with all of us…doctor, teacher, fireman, police officer, nurse, astronaut, etc. These professions speak to our innate passions and desires to teach, help, nurture or experience adventure. Rarely does a child express a desire to be an accountant, officer clerk, salesman, or upper level manager.

When I was in Grade 4, I was enamoured with the spectacular opening credits to movies by 20th Century Fox Studios (do you remember the skyscraper adorned with the words “20th Century Fox”, and the booming orchestral music?). I vividly recall my dream of one day writing movies for 20th Century Fox. And then a few years later in Junior High, I became interested in psychology and believed that would be the path I would follow.

However different choices were made, and I have worked for more than 25 years in an office where I made lifelong friends and enjoyed a salary that allowed for a lovely home and comfortable life; BUT where the discord between my childhood dreams and adult reality grew stronger and stronger with each passing year.

In answer to this discord, I was motivated to revisit these long held dreams and bring them to life wherever I could – by going back to school to obtain my psychology degree; exploring more holistic avenues to support people on their life path; and taking a stab at blogging to satisfy my long unanswered desire to be a writer.

Now think back to your childhood and how you would have answered the question “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. Would you have chosen a teacher, fireman or astronaut? Whatever your answer, what underlying passion would have been associated with your dream – teaching, helping, nurturing, the quest for adventure – or something else entirely?

And now thinking about your true childhood passion, consider the following questions:

•Does my current career offer an outlet to fulfill this passion? If not, can this passion manifest itself in some other way at work?
•Am I engaged in other interests or hobbies that offer an outlet to fulfill this childhood dream?
•Do I need to explore this area of my life further and discover opportunities to reignite my childhood passions and dreams?

Getting in touch with your oldest and most authentic dreams can bring great joy and direction to your life. These dreams and passions never died – but life happened, and adult priorities may have caused them to fade.

If you would like to explore these unmanifested dreams through Life Path Coaching, an Interpretive Card Reading, or creating a Vision/Dream Board, please consider a free introductory session with Life Path Pursuits to determine the best option for you.

www.lifepathpursuits.ca