Who Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

As a child I was often asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I came up with some gut reactions or poorly conceived ideas and then muddled through making a living that carried me through the last 50+ years.

But others should ask you - and you should ask yourself - “Who do you want to be (when you grow up)?”.

Asking this second question is more important and more telling. It considers the holistic picture and is more difficult to answer, as it involves understanding yourself in ways that are not always obvious.

Who are you now?

Too many people define themselves by the job they are doing, not who they are. This comes from years of learned behaviour and the almost automatic response in a social situation “I’m at school”, “I’m in this job”, etc. When I supported practice interviews with 15-year-old children they already defined themselves in rigid terms and needed encouragement to show their wider selves and their broader capabilities.

To understand who you are, take any opportunity to question yourself, or let others question you to create a rich and deep picture. Many people limit their own views, or carry the labels given to them, so get a big blank sheet of paper before you start!

Who do you want to be?

If you have asked this question, then you think you want a change. I add the word “think”, because until you know yourself, and you know what you want to change, you won’t be sure.

Ensure you create a rich picture of who you want to be, what this involves, the emotions that it evokes and capture this in whatever way you feel comfortable. It is only from this that you can then distil the actions you need to take in ALL aspects of your life, to become that person you want to be.