Do you remember as a child if you were asked what you wanted to be when you grew up? Did you want to be a doctor, fireman, teacher or
maybe a veterinarian?
Did you follow through
with those young hearted dreams?
I was asked this
superfluous question "what do you
want to be when you grow up" when I was around 6 or 7 years old. My
response at the time....a Go-Go Dancer!
It was pretty apparent that the elderly woman that
asked this question was expecting a career choice a little more conservative, traditional or conventional than the exotic one I beamed about.
After her initial shock
from my response, my mom was probably tongue-tied with embarrassment or, who
knows, maybe she was proud of that answer. After all, it was at the cusp of the
70’s – with women’s lib, free spirit and independence. You know...during Bra Burning times.
Honestly, I think I
got the Go-Go dancer notion from the show "Laugh In." My folks
watched this show and I remember Goldie Hawn dancing brazenly in her teeny-weeny itsy-bitsy bikini during the
show's party comedy bits.
Also, I liked
the boots the ladies wore from that era. Go-Go boots from the 60's and
early 70's were all the rage. In fact, even now, my Karaoke “go to” song is “These Boots Are Made For Walkin” by Nancy Sinatra.
It’s no wonder I’m
still confused with what I want to be when I grow up.
Maybe you haven’t
followed through with your earlier career predictions and you're still struggling
with this question. If so, then you may
find this video clip from "Ted Talks" series very
interesting.
Not everyone has a perfect path or plan for what they want to do in life.
Some fall in the "Multipotentialite" category (having multi potential). Not perfectly slotted for anything in
particular, but a Jack of All Trades, so to speak. These are people who
have a range of interests over a lifetime.
I can relate to this
and found it frustrating not knowing where I belong.
Our culture wants us
to choose, find our destiny and then devote to it.
Not everyone is wired
that way. If you often feel alone,
without a purpose or that something is wrong with you, it could be that you
just have many interests and creative pursuits and it’s too hard to narrow it
down.
There are strengths to
being a Multipotentialite.
- Idea Synthesis – able to combine two or more fields or interests and actually create something new.
- Rapid Learning – highly observant, less afraid to try new things and rarely start from scratch. You already have experiences and skills in many different areas.
- Adaptability – can easily morph into different roles
Embrace your inner
wiring – whatever that may be. Now that I'm in my fifties, I’m much closer to figuring “me”
out than ever before.
It's probably no big surprise, but I never succeeded as a Go-Go Dancer! Maybe, I'm not grown up enough, YET!
There's still time. Have you ever seen an aging Go-Go Dancer? Watch out, It could
happen! Are you ready boots? Start walkin'.
Put your smile on and unwrap
A Square of Chocolate,
Laurie O
Answer to your question: YES! I got to know a little old lady in her 90s who used to walk past my cottage every day with her equally-ancient Maltese poodle on a leash. Despite her age, she had all her wits about her, and struck me as quite a character. One day I interviewed her for our local newspaper and when I asked her what she had done as a career, she cackled and said, "No one ever believe this. But I was a go-go dancer, and a good one at that." She died a year or two later, and I often wonder if she's allowed to do go-go dancing in Heaven.
ReplyDeleteThis is great. I bet she had some fun stories to tell and I'm sure Heaven appreciates a good go-go dancer! Thanks for sharing :)
DeleteI decided when I was young to never grow up. 60 years later, I'm still living that dream!
ReplyDeleteGood decision Diane!
DeleteI can so relate to those young aspirations!! I wanted to be a go-go dancer because I wanted those darn go-go boots!!
ReplyDeleteLol - yep, who can resist a good pair of go-go boots!
DeleteI wanted to be a spy. Then I wanted to be a doctor. Then I wanted to be a dancer. Then an actress. Then a writer. Then an anthropologist. So, yes, I too am one of those multipotentialite... it's just that I get bored kinda fast. haha. good post.
ReplyDeleteDiscovery is the spice of life! Keep discovering and thanks for commenting Karen.
DeleteAs a young child, I don't recall wanting to be anything when I grew up - I was too busy having adventures with Hadji from Johnny Quest and my imaginary horse. But as a teen I KNEW I would be a writer for Saturday Night LIve and Rolling Stone magazine then I would help Terry Gilliam create his awesome graphics for Monty Python. As it happened, I gave that all up for a BOY. That particular 'boy' is long gone. The one I have now has become my adventure companion and I am writing for ME. So I guess, in a round about way, my dreams did come true!
ReplyDeleteFunny, Laura, my hubby and I were just remarking the other day about our memories of Johnny Quest. Being on SNL is on my bucket list, believe it or not. Continuing to be adventurous IS living the dream. Good for you!
DeleteOh boy, can I relate! It was particularly difficult being a multipotentialite when learning about blogging. I was told that you have to pick a niche. Narrow it down. Focus on ONE THING. Do you know how difficult that is when you get bored easily? I don't feel so alone anymore. Thanks so much for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteWell Rev, after visiting your blog, I think you picked a great niche. Sharing info on the obsession of MANY hobbies. Great idea - I subscribed!
ReplyDeleteI still have no idea of what my "calling in life" is - in a way I think that's a good thing because it allows me to embrace so many different things and it makes me more interesting (I hope) I can't understand how someone finds their career at 17 and stays in it until they retire - it's just weird to me. Mind you Go-Go dancing has it's appeal!
ReplyDeleteLeanne, it seems you have been embracing many changes in your life. Self-discovery is an ongoing thing. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
DeleteOh how this describes me. Must be why I’ve had so many different careers if you can call them that. But I also made sacrifices to be home with my kids. I can’t wait for Retirement to do all the things I’m interested In without the work commitment. I’m prett sure I answered I wanted to be a dancer but not a Go Go dancer, more like Ginger Rogers!
ReplyDeleteChris, sorry I didn't see this comment earlier - the notification was sitting in a different folder that was unnoticed. In response, it's interesting how we are always searching for that "one thing." But, in reality, it's probably many different things that hold our interest, which sounds like your situation. Don't wait too long to dabble in those things. Sometimes excuses and fear can hold us back from being the Ginger Rogers we want to be ;-) Thanks again for commenting, Chris!
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