What Do I Want to Be When I Grow Up?

2 Jul 2012 tadams4u

What did you want to be when you grew up?

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When we were little, people would ask us what we wanted to be when we grew up. Seemed like a simple question. Our imaginations run wild….Doctor, Lawyer, Cowboy, Ninja, Fireman (or woman), Superhero, Official Ice Cream Taster. Nothing was off-limits.

Well, I was one of those odd kids. I never knew. I knew only one thing. I wanted to be successful.  I had no idea how, or what it looked like (other than visions of lots of money) but I never knew what I would be doing.

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In my senior year when kids were deciding on college and what career paths to take. I was still at a loss. Being in honor’s classes, I was with all the kids who had their whole futures plotted out as lawyers, doctor’s, etc. These kids knew what they wanted and what schools they wanted to go to. They had it all mapped out.  Not me. `

I had no idea. I waited till school was almost out to even apply for schools. When I was accepted, I was like “now what”?  And much to my mother’s dismay, I chose not to go at the last-minute. I couldn’t imagine committing to four more years of school when I was clueless as to what was next. Like many kids, I decided to head out into the big bad world, with only my passion for excelling at what I do. I didn’t know what I would do, I just knew I would rock whatever it was.

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So I set out on my path to success. Unsure of what I would be when I grew up. Knowing it would come to me when it was supposed to.

I ended up in a great job that I loved (more on that later) but I was still plagued by the never answered question of “What I wanted to be when I grew up?”.

When I “retired” after 22 years to take over my ice cream shop, I thought for sure inspiration would hit me on what I wanted to do with the next phase of my career as I ran my small business. Surely I would finally figure out what I wanted to be. After all, I had been pretty successful in so many different areas with Home Depot and now this small business, surely something would have taken over. The reality is, I loved all the things I was able to do and be a part of.

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Now I am pondering once again, what I want to be when I grow up.  I spent the past year trying to figure it out, but nothing would ever stick. I was right back where I was 25+ years ago trying to figure out this age-old question. Now I need to head back out into the business world. (Yes, even bribes with ice cream doesn’t pay the bills).

I’m looking at various areas, but really want to find a company I can love as much as I did Home Depot. I loved it there (ok, there might have been a time or two – but overall, I loved it).  Do I go into areas I know I am great at? Do I try new things? I’d love to start a new business, but once again….doing what?

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One thing I know for sure how to do is be me. I’m passionate about everything I do. I’m passionate about being the best at what I do. And I know I will be successful at whatever I end up doing.

I just wish I knew what I was going to be when I grow up?

Maybe since I always say remain a kid at heart, having an answer to this question would mean I could no longer be a kid heart, I’d have to be “gasp” a real adult. Maybe that is why I have mental block.

This week I will be doing a different type of post. This week I will be sharing some of my thoughts on this process to discover what I want to be and how I got here. I know each of our stories help others, so maybe some of you are facing or have faced the same thing.

Don’t worry, we will still have fun along the way.   😀

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Today’s question is…..

Did you always know what you wanted to be when you grew up? 

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~~~till we laugh again~~~

52 thoughts on “What Do I Want to Be When I Grow Up?”

  1. Carl D'Agostino

    I wanted to be a cartoonist. Spent 33 years as a high school history teacher. I was going to go career army like most of my frat brothers(I would have been safer Vietnam or not). Now I have a cartoon blog and hope to publish first book 100 cartoons soon.

  2. John Holton

    I didn’t want to go to college, but was more scared of my mother than I should have been, so I went anyway. I came out of college having even less of an idea of what I wanted to do than when I went in. I’ve worked for 35 years (the last three part-time) and all I know is that I don’t want to do that anymore. My ultimate goal is to be an entertaining weird old man. I was a weird young man, so it should be easy for me.

    1. Tammy @ LaughingAtEverydayLife

      I think that was my fear, doing it for four more years and being four more years away from achieving any goals. I thought for sure it would hit me. And I’m with you, I hope to always be weird and maybe get paid for it someday! 😀 thanks for sharing!

  3. terry1954

    i love it that you have the child like view on life and retaining your youth. there is nothing wrong with this, and u have confidence, which will cause you to excell with anything you venture into. good luck!!! i hope you find your new fit in life

  4. buckwheatsrisk

    i didn’t and still don’t know, what i do know is i’ve always wanted to have my own business, now i would still like that but work from home…i am unable to work outside our home.

        1. Tammy @ LaughingAtEverydayLife

          some folks are making decent money off writing on different blogs or for different companies now. I’ve thought about but my passion for writing isn’t so much about the writing as it is the sharing and helping and teaching 😀

  5. dearanonymousfriend

    Grow up???!!?? Actually I wanted to be the next Barbara Walters. I wanted to be an investigative reporter. Instead I married young, travelled the world with my husband and did a variety of jobs some of which I absolutely loved, some not so much. Like you, I am still trying to figure it out. DAF

      1. dearanonymousfriend

        It was the early 70’s so just the fact she was a she was a big deal! Plus, I thought that Geraldo did cool stuff as an investigative reporter and the youth in me thought I was invincible and could do anything, that is until I was proposed to and then my thoughts went elsewhere! But, I did think moving to NYC would be the utmost in bravery and courage and that I would excel. Instead I travelled to Japan and lived there for three years and had the time of my life working there. Seasons of life are always interesting and I am certain your next season will be incredible especially with your sense of humor!

        1. Tammy @ LaughingAtEverydayLife

          Yes, she definitely was and is a pioneer. I think you should create a blog where you do some investigating reporting and share with us what you find. Could be interesting. I’m looking for that next season, I’m actually excited about it, I just need it to kick in now. LOL

  6. jensine

    I never wanted to be or do anything else but write … always wanted to be a journalist from the age of four and look at me now … and I may not be terribly successful but i do what i always wanted

  8. firstandfabulous

    Yup. I knew. I wanted to be a teacher. But like you, college wasn’t in the cards. I worked at the electric and gas company here in Jersey for 25 years. Got downsized, ( got pissed ) and then, guess what, went to college. AND I became a – guess what again? Yup. A teacher! 10 years of that puts me at 60. Now, I’m retired from that. Guess what number three? I still need to work, but I don’t know what I want to be now that I’ve “grown up”. Go figure. It’ll all work out. For both of us. 🙂

    1. Tammy @ LaughingAtEverydayLife

      Odd the journey life takes us. That is awesome you got to live out that part of the dream. I think it is the constant craving for more knowledge that keeps us wanting more. Not so much the book knowledge but the knowledge about ourselves and helping others.
      thanks for sharing

  9. writerwannabe763

    When I was a child I wanted to be a figure skater or a dancer….but later on I wanted to be married and have children to love and give a secure home… I never could skate…but we went and danced a lot for fun and I had my family ….so I guess I made out alright. I really didn’t have BIG dreams….Diane

  11. chlost

    Wait, you mean we have to grow up? I am still not ready for that. Many days I can’t believe that I am a mother of grown children and a grandmother to boot. What happened? I never set out on my career path, it sort of happened. I worked very hard. I have never made much money, my focus has always been on the clients. Now I’ve been burned out for a long time, but haven’t really figured out an option. It is very hard to find new employment at this stage of life. So I may wait it out for a few more years, earn the pension and then retire and travel as much as I can afford. I would love to do some writing along the way, but it is mostly for myself and my family, not for money. I’ll be interested in your journey. I think you are a bit younger.

    1. Tammy @ LaughingAtEverydayLife

      I refuse to grow up… Lol. I was thankful I love what I tend to do. I look at some folks in jobs they hate for many years and I’m thankful that at least I enjoy what I’ve done. Today you may not have that but hopefully you will . More folks probably find your story similar to theirs

  12. photosfromtheloonybin

    I was exactly like you. I didn’t have a bloody clue what I wanted to be, and I felt like such a loser because all of my friends knew exactly what they were going to be. I ended up taking engineering for two years at university but then quit because it was so incredibly difficult and I couldn’t handle the stress anymore. Plus, even though this is kind of old fashioned nowadays, I knew that I wanted to be a mom, and I didn’t think I could be the mom I wanted to be if I had some huge career. I still worked but I was there in the morning to send my boys off to school, and I was there when they got home, and I think that is very important. Too many kids are growing up nowadays without their parents around enough. Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it :).

    1. Tammy @ LaughingAtEverydayLife

      You hit the core of why I didn’t keep going to school the first time. I didn’t want to wake up and realize I had been studying the wrong thing. So often you hear about all the money spent on degrees or studies that a person never actual goes into.

      I find a lot of people had a very strong pull to just “know” they were going to be a mom. I was the opposite, I knew I was always going to be a career woman. LOL. But one hell of a great aunt. 😀

  13. kewsmith

    As others, I still have no idea what I want to do. My kids are off to college or their own lives, so now I need something new to fill my time. I love to write and that is what I’m doing now but I haven’t exactly found my niche. As I child I always wanted to be an actor but I wasn’t brave enough to pursue it. I came from a very practical family and this was far too impractical.

  14. Pingback: College Degree vs Experience ~ Is One More Valuable Than the Other? « Laughing at Everyday Life
  15. wendymc12

    The world was so interesting to me that I had a laundry list of things I wanted to do (interior designer, pilot, writer, artist…). I’ve been fortunate to have experienced many of these choices. Loved the post, it was great. 🙂

      1. wendymc12

        Yeah. Writing a book, becoming a travel writer, speaking to groups….You only get one life and I want to try it all on for size. 🙂 Oh, and even though I wasn’t a pilot for a job, I did take flying lessons for a while until money became an obstacle (flying lessons are expensive).

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