What do I want to be when I grow up?

This is one of the most thought-provoking questions we will ever ask ourselves during our lifetime. We ask ourselves this question, because it is presented to us at an early age. We are prompted to figure out the course of our life, during a time where we have such limited experience of it. It is assumed that, if we start thinking about it early enough, we will be more prepared for making the best decision.

The first glimpses into the possibilities that exist are those of the people closest to us. What did Mom and Dad become? Grandmas and Grandpas? Aunts and Uncles? My friend’s parents? Do I like any of these things? Would I want to be that? We then start exploring through other experiences brought to us in school, or in life, to also assist with our choices. “Bring Your Parent or Grandparent to School Day”, “Career Day”, “Take Your Child to Work Day”, and so on.

If you’re one who had a high school experience in the U.S., you had guidance counselors who gave you tests that would determine your strengths and show you what careers matched those strengths. You would then be guided towards colleges that would help you head towards those roles.

Some people would have a strong resonance at an early age of the role they wanted to play in society. Others, no matter the experiences shown, simply had a perpetually hard time making a decision. That’s not a surprise, given that it is sold to everyone that what you choose is important, that you don’t want to go down the wrong road and waste a large portion of your life by making the wrong choice.

Ironically, many of those who were “sure”, followed their path, and became “successful” by society’s standards, ended up in the same boat with those who couldn’t make a choice in adolescence. They were left feeling unfulfilled, and questioning what it is that they SHOULD be doing.

A hidden nugget of secret knowledge can be discovered in these seemingly desperate moments:

“What am I doing with my life?”

“What am I DOing with my life?”

As this is being pondered, more of the nugget is being revealed. There has been a large focus on DOing, yet the initial question was, “What do I want to BE when I grow up?”

The life reflection in these moments is critical, because it is where more can be seen. Take the canvas and set it on the ground. Climb a tree, or go upstairs, or sit on the roof, and then look back down at the canvas. You will then see the painting from a higher perspective. You will notice many things you didn’t see before, when you were intertwined in the throes of your life. You will see that “making the right decision” was a mirage. You will see that following laid-out plans for success would inevitably shift, because no plan given could tailor to the unique “you” that you are constantly discovering. Maybe the most important of all, you will see that through all of the experiences you had leading up to the point that you are doing the reflecting, you were learning a little bit more about who you are - every experience, no exceptions. Each occasion showed you more of what you want and don’t want, like and dislike, strengths and opportunities. You will see that you have been BEing all along.

At this point, it’s a good idea to practice forgiveness. Forgive yourself, because you did the best you could with the information you had available at the time. Forgive yourself because you didn’t know any better. Be easy on yourself, because as Abraham Hicks says, “You can’t get it wrong, and you will never get it done.” There is no wrong, there’s only that which resonates, and that which doesn’t so that you know what does - and both paths lead to growth. You will never get it done, because growth and expansion is infinite. It will not stop when your physical body dies.

Understand that in this place, you have been learning who you are the whole time. You have been BEing.

This is something that I came to in recent times, that has plugged in this particular puzzle piece for me. Despite the options and experiences presented around me, I went a different way and chose a career path in IT when I was younger, and have been doing it for 20 years. It interested me then, and facets of it still do, but it’s something I DO. It is not who I am.

I’ve set my canvas on the ground, elevated myself, and looked down at the artwork of my life to this point. I’ve seen where I’ve uncovered, discovered, shed, become more authentic, and began to align with my inner being - who I am in its essence. I know that I can’t get it wrong, and I’ll never get it done, and I am open and aware of the signs and synchronicities that the Universe delivers on a daily basis that let me know when my physical human body and mind is in agreeance with my inner being. These signs and synchronicities are everywhere, if you are open to receiving them. They can be as simple as seeing repeating Angel numbers, or specific animals, or songs at the “right time”. They can be as intricate as meeting someone in a place you go to expand your soul, and finding out that on the previous day in a different city, they were in the same bookstore, at the same time, looking for the same types of books as you, and you just missed each other, not knowing because you’ve never met…yet the Universe made sure the paths crossed less than 24 hours later. I’m walking my own path, regardless of any external factor, person, or circumstance. There is a great resonance within my soul to this process, and it has given me all the confirmation that I need.

The question “What do I want to be when I grow up?” has only one answer. It will now, and forever be:

Me.