Who Am I?

Yesterday I attended my grandson's 5th grade promotion ceremony. He is excited to be entering the 6th grade in September. He has already mapped out how he envisions his first year in middle school will unfold.

Toward the end of the promotion a film was shown. In the film, each student was interviewed and asked who are they and what they want to become. The audience was able to see the future generation of programmers, doctors, lawyers, professional sports players, actors, teachers, TV Hosts, astronauts and Presidents, etc. It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm and belief that each student displayed as they shared their vision. There was no doubt in their minds that they would accomplish what they wanted.

It made me think of the innocence of youth, their willingness to try something new and their resilience. Children have a strong desire to succeed and not give up. I wonder, then, when these thought patterns begin to change? When does doubt set in? As we mature, there is a tendency to question who we are and what we want out of life.

There's a lot that we can learn from our youthful days. As children, we didn't place a lot of value on how our friends perceived us. We believed in ourselves. We were willing to test the waters to see what developed. If we found that we didn't like what we where doing we had no problem making changes until we were satisfied. Children could switch hats quickly as they tried on different roles.

As we try to figure out the answers to the questions "who am I?" or "what do I want to become?", we should recall the things that we enjoyed doing as a child. The results will provide a decision-making roadmap that can be utilized to determine the path of our life, job and or career.

Remember, it's not about how others will define you; it's about you becoming who you where meant to be.