I have NEVER been able to answer this question. NEV-ER. And it is rather odd because I am the ultimate planner, you can just ask my friends. (I am already bugging them about what we are going to do for my birthday and it is weeks away. It’s September 21st if you are taking notes.)
As a child, teachers and family members alike would ask this question, all assuming I had some fantastic whimsical answer. “I want to be a cowboy, a princess, a firefighter, a policewoman, the President, a cruise ship director, something, anything.” But no, I had nothing. And so I’d sheepishly reply, “I just don’t know.”
When it came time to pick a college, I still had no plan. I applied to two schools that were polar opposites (University of Colorado and Wake Forest) in hopes of simplifying the decision. And after being deferred from Wake Forest from early decision, I didn’t even reapply. My decision was made for me. God wanted me to be a Buffaloe. (And thankfully my father had already insisted I major in Business Administration, so I didn’t have to worry about that decision.)
Ten years post-college, I still have had no real plan. I have jumped from job-to-job without any clear destination. And it has totally worked for me. I love my job. I love my company. There is no question in my mind that I am in the place I am supposed to be. If I had set out as a child to work in communications at a publishing house, I don’t think I could have planned my path better.
But I am starting to wonder. I am starting to wonder if I need to be a little more proactive about my future. First, I read this post by my boss, Michael Hyatt, about Creating a Life Plan. And it got me thinking. Then, I started hanging about with this girl, Jenni Catron, who keeps talking-in-my-ear about leadership. And it got me thinking some more.
Now, I am reflecting on possibility of living life more intentionally. So that maybe next time someone asks, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I will have a thoughtful answer.
Tell me, have you decided what you want to be when you grow up? Do you have a life plan that guides you there?
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