The Action of Growing Up

by Emily Jasper on June 10, 2010

What do you want to be when you grow up?

When I grow up, I want to be a ballerina. When I grow up, I want to be a Women’s Olympic Rower. When I grow up, I want to be a CSI, a naval architect, a florist, a Broadway singer, a forensic psychologist, and many more.

As you can see, my list covers the gamut. From childhood through college, I always had an answer for that question, often influenced by my interests at the time.

If you ask me that question today, I have no idea what I would say.

I think it’s because the question has changed. We all descended upon the workforce to find that titles aren’t always synonymous with experience, performance, or knowledge. Some are used to lift you up, anchor you down, or “place” you, regardless of your background. It’s hard to trust them anymore. What we can trust is action.

The question should be, “What do you want to do?”

I want to conduct good business practices, to lead, to inspire those around me. I want to sing to a crowd of thousands, choreography movement, and paint the world.

I want to make a dent on this world.

Action is dynamic. It is living and so are we. When you can do, you aren’t limited by a role. Our future is filled with focusing on our passions. I am passionate about business, but I would never say, “I want to be in the C-Suite of a Fortune 500 company.” There are enough people out there who do think this way, many overlooking the accomplishments you need to get there. Those accomplishments are nothing but action.

Doing also broadens the possibilities. I may never paint professionally, but it’s something I can always do. My back may limit my own dancing, but I can always bring movement to others.

Begin to think of your world in terms of action. Do all of your dreams open up all of a sudden? Do you see all the pieces? You might find your goals are more feasible when you start seeing the actions instead of a limiting role. Perception and your state of mind can change everything.

I want to make a dent on this world. What do you want to do?

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