What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

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.

1. Idea Synthesis – able to combine two or more fields or interests and actually create something new.
2. 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.
3. 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

If you like it, love it and want more of it, please subscribe to A Square Of Chocolate here and get every post delivered to your email. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram.