Remember that dream you had when you were little? I wanted to be on TV. I wanted to be a singer or actress. My brother wanted to be a Major League Baseball player. Some kids on our street wanted to be NASCAR drivers, football players, models, teachers, and doctors. Whatever we wanted to be, all of us did NOT do it. Only a small percent of us followed our dreams.
Somewhere along the way we change our minds or we lose sight of what we used to want. We sometimes give up on ourselves or others lose faith in us too. Maybe we don’t think we can do it or maybe we fear what we really can become. Whatever the case, we use the word “maybe” too much. The only words coming out of your mouth when you are chasing a dream should be “I Will” not “Maybe I will.”
It’s funny how life turns out. Sometimes you can really nail a child’s personality from the time they are a toddler. You can sense they are going to be a leader or a follower very early on. You know if they are passive or aggressive. You learn quickly if they are strong or weak minded. I have news for you, sometimes they become the exact opposite and sometimes they stay the course. You really never know how you will turn out. But, your personality doesn’t change too much. I once read that we develop our personality by the time we are seven years old. After that age you are stuck with yourself.
I think back and wonder what I was like. I certainly was the leader. No doubt about that one. I wasn’t following anyone and I still don’t. In high school I wasn’t giving into peer pressure and in college I was too busy dreaming about the dream.
I look around my neighborhood and see little kids and wonder what they want to be when they get older. I look at the grown ups and I see what those same children will be. We have a nurse, a construction worker, a teacher, a professional soccer player, a doctor, a lawyer, a pharmacist, stay-at-home moms, sales reps, restaurateurs, and me the girl on TV selling you some quality, value, and convenience.
I wonder how many people’s dreams came true and how many people quit? I know I am still chasing and evolving. I am never quitting. It’s not in me. Everyone can’t be happy in the rat race. But, everyone should be happy with what they are doing. If it’s not your forever job then I hope it’s getting you to the next step if there’s more to climb.
My parents’ great advice for me and my brother: “You can be whatever you want to be but just be great at what you become.”
The next time I see a kid and they tell me what they want to be, I will encourage them like always to pursue the "Pie In The Sky." I will insist they chase the dream and beat the odds stacked against them. I’ll also tell them to pay close attention to the adults in their world. You can aim high or shoot too low, you can get in the game and have people know your name, or you can let your dreams fade out of sight and have regret every night.
Look around at what you will become. You have the choice. You have the voice. You have the power. You can become the “One” you want to be.
