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What Grown-up Dreams are Made of
Happiness is the goal for me now
When I was a kid, I remember writing down the different things that I wanted to be when I grew up. They looked a lot like some other kids’ dream jobs — Veterinarian, Doctor, Singer, Actress. Then, as I got older, I had less and less of an aspiration to become any of these things. Throughout middle school, high school, and even college, my mentality for success was to just do well in school, get good grades, and graduate. Finishing was the accomplishment in itself. I figured that if I could successfully finish school, then that would be enough to translate into a successful career. And for the most part, it did.
I got a job immediately after graduating college. I moved to New York City, got my own apartment, and now make a decent income. I’m able to comfortably pay my bills and enjoy my life. However, the thing that I never got around to figuring out was what I really wanted to do with my life. Somewhere along the way, I forgot about that age old question of, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” I somehow forgot about the big picture because I was too busy focusing on making sure that I was succeeding “in the now”— and I don’t necessarily regret that. After all, one of the biggest pieces of advice that people give is to live more in the now. But, perhaps I was living too much in the now that I forgot about…
