What Do You Wanna Be When You Grow Up ?

We ask kids this question all the time it seems.  And they are so full of life and motivation and hopes and dreams.  The whole world seems open and available to them.  Even the sky is not the limit ... you can go beyond that!

Then something happens.

Dreams start to be distant memories.  Careers turn into jobs.  Aspirations become what-could-have-beens.  Goals get modified from grand to general.  Instead of running your own company you start planning to pay off a student loan (yours or your child's).

Even as we are progressing along the path to what we thought or planned to be "when we grow up," circumstances change and what we thought we wanted, turns out to be a bad goal.  Maybe "bad" is the wrong word.  Perhaps the goal is just no longer applicable based on experiences we've had that have shaped how we view the world and our place in it.

All this is just to say I've definitely felt that lately in my life.  Some might say it's a mid-life crisis sort of situation, but I don't know about that.  I am coming up on 15 years of time with my current employer (Progressive).  I'm very happy with the company and my role within it and the direction it is headed.  I'm not bored with my day-to-day work, nor am I actively (or even passively) seeking something different.  But I have had a large change in my career goals.  The role and position I felt like I was working toward doesn't appear to be what I thought it was.  The things I would have to give up to be eligible for and successful in that role are not entirely in harmony with my preference for leading and teaching people.  The odd thing is: I'm okay with that.

Time will tell what happens.  Perhaps the role I was seeking will become what I envisioned it to be.  Perhaps I will find that I no longer have the same passion for coaching and leading people so I will need to seek other career options.  Or perhaps I will remain in my current role for many more years and just find joy and happiness in it.  That doesn't have to be a bad thing.  It might be just what I should be when I grow up!

Song Of The Day:
I'm thinking "Right Here, Right Now" by Jesus Jones ... because I'm honestly happy where I am.  The line "there is no other place I'd rather be" sums things up pretty good.

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