What do you want to be when you grow up?
This question has been a staple of conversation starters since dreams were invented. An open-ended question which positions the person asking as wise and authoritative; I’m asking because I may have an answer for you.
How would you respond to this question? As positive-thinking individuals, we aspire to explore directions that appear interesting and rewarding to us. We covet ideas we like and create a wish list of goals that construct our vision for our future self be. These goals may be free of any reality restrictions early on and could include anything we find interesting or attractive. Aspirations for wealth, reputation, attention, and other components which could improve our personal and emotional security dictate its formation. Fame and fortune are popular goals at any age.
Sooner or later, you decide on a personal or a professional path and embark on it. The longer you are on that path, the more time and other resources you invest in it. But as you continue to grow and mature, so does your vision of your reality and plans. In certain situations, you could start doubting your track. Is it too late to change your mind? The investment in time and money you have already made now represents a loss you may not want or could take. As you seek coaching and other methods of help to correct your course, you may wonder: will that be the last time you make this change?
Today’s career paths are more fluid than ever before. Advancements in technology, redirections of market demands, and global competition, rapidly affect industries and professions. These shifts ripple out far and wide, changing the financial stability of market sectors, and altering the trajectory and makeup of entire professional fields. Any of those could alter or even tarnish your plans and goals.
You can only advance through life with the assets you have at hand. Making sound decisions, especially at those important intersections or opportunities, will provide for smoother, more stable, and desired paths and goals. Many things in life start with a dream. Planning and strategizing well for those goals would secure an effective achievement of that dream, maximizing your life satisfaction and success.
Setting your goal:
- Research the field and study its career opportunities, market value, and ways to achieve it.
- Secure a support system that will provide effective academic, financial, and emotional support throughout your journey.
- Investigate your target for stability, viability, and capacity to support you over your lifetime.
- Implement tolerances and alternate routes you could exploit along the way should condition require it. In a word, have a Plan B.
Along the way:
- Train your sight on your goal and do your best to achieve it with maximum results.
- Keep the plan you made handy, and confirm your progress against it periodically.
- Use your support system to secure any bumps or weaknesses in your progress. Avoid waiting for things to crack before you summon help and protect your track.
So, what do you think you want to be?