"Buzz Aldrin" (1969), photograph by Neil Armstrong
According to Grant, "When you're asked what you want to be, the only socially acceptable response is a job. Adults are waiting for kids to wax poetic about becoming something grand like an astronaut, heroic like a firefighter, or inspired like a filmmaker. There's no room to say you just want job security, let alone that you hope to be a good father or a great mother--or a caring and curious person. Although I study work for a living, I don't think it should define us" (230).
With the above sentiments in mind, what do you want to be when you grow up? Avoid the obvious, such as the job title you want to have or the kind of parent or spouse you want to be.
I want to stay a happy and positive person. I have been told that growing up is nothing but hardships and frustration. I don't know if this is true, but I would like to think that I can power through it and stay myself. I also want to be someone that enjoys life. I want to able to travel, plan stupid parties, and try crazy new things. This may be kind if a basic answer, but I feel like enjoying your life is something that not a lot of people seem to do anymore.
ReplyDeleteLibby Revel
I think that is an excellent wish, Libby! I have always had the fear of living a mundane life and eventually becoming a sour old grouch. Of course, I have a career I wish to pursue, and I hope to eventually be an excellent father and spouse one day, but mostly I just want to be happy and content with whatever comes my way. I hope to live each day wisely and just accept the outcome, whatever it may be, with gratitude. You said that you would like “to travel” and “plan stupid parties”; so, where are some places you would like to travel to? And where would you like to have these stupid parties (i.e. where would you like to live when you finish college)? I know these would be even more basic answers, but I am still curious.
DeleteI want to be myself, not someone who is molded by peer pressure around me. I want to be a leader and educator in those who will come after me and guide them on their journey. Every "successful" person in my life has always preached about working hard but none ever really talk about resting and having fun, I want to be able to learn the balance of work and rest. Above all I want to remain curious and question everything because I understand that knowledge will remain with me until the day I die. Lastly the obvious is I want to be a good son, brother, husband, and father.
ReplyDeleteI want to be the most adventurous and exciting person I know. I want lots and lots of memories that will put my grandkids in awe when I recall them later on in life. Fantasy books and adventure movies were what I consumed most as a child - swashbuckling, treasure hunts, and of course the good guys and bad guys are all chasing down a MacGuffin. I still love watching those movies and reading those books, so I know I've still got it in me. I have a small collection of things that are super cool to me, like things one of my relatives purchased when she lived in Okinawa many decades ago...I want a collection from MY adventures.
ReplyDeleteLauren George
When I grow up I want to be able to help others. I want to be able to lend a decisive or caring ear to friends in need. I want to be able to start programs that help kids explore job options for the future in fun and educational ways. I want to be able to give back to several different communities and groups of people. I want to make the world a better place for those who come next.
ReplyDelete-Gracie Tollett
When I grow up, I want to be myself. I don’t know what kind of person I’ll be or how I’ll feel about the things I do now. The obvious answer would be to say that I want to be good and happy and satisfied with my life, but I want to see how I grow up. The person I am now is vastly different from the one I was five years ago; I was happy then and I am happy now. The person I am now may not be exactly the person I wanted to be five years ago, and I may not be doing what I had wanted to do, but I am still happy. When I grow up I want to be myself, because I have faith that I will be happy with wherever I am.
ReplyDeleteLuke West
When I grow up, I want to be somebody that younger me would be proud of. I want to be someone who enjoys all aspects of life. The most important thing I want to keep in my life when I grow up is fun. Often, people see growing up as becoming serious or too busy for silly endeavors. Nobody said growing up had to be boring. Therefore, when I grow up, I want to make sure to be someone who always is fun to be around.
ReplyDelete-Megan Lewis
When I grow up, I want to inspire others and make people want to be better. I want to be that guy that someone younger then me wants to be when he grows up. I want to truly impact peoples lives for good because you can impact for bad. When I say I want to inspire others I don't meant inspire them to break a world record or something but simply inspire them to be a better version of themselves. Their is always a better version of ourselves we can always grow to be stronger, kinder, a harder worker, and smarter. When I grow up, I want to be an Inspirer.
ReplyDeleteWhen I grow up, I want to be a more loving and a more hardworking person than I am right now. If I am able to accomplish these goals it will help me to accomplish the obvious goals such as having a successful career and being a good husband and father. Also, if everyone would work hard and love others, I believe the world would be a much better place.
ReplyDeleteWhen I grow up, I would like to be known for many things. I want to be known for being someone who is honest and happy. I want to be the person people can go to when they need a real opinion or a loyal friend. I do not want to lower my standards or shape myself into being what the world accepts as “normal.” I want to still be the independent, smart, and capable person I am today, and I want to be known for being able accept the fact that I cannot please everybody, and that that is okay. Overall, I want to be known for taking the time to enjoy the simple and small things life has to offer.
ReplyDeleteWhen I grow up, I want to be someone that others look up to. I want to be the best version of myself and I want to continually grow. I want to be someone that others always know they can turn to for anything. I want to stay true to myself and not become something that the world accepts. I want to be more loving and accepting. I want to always be independent and not have to rely on anyone. If I am able to accomplish all these things, it will help me to accomplish my biggest goal of being the best wife and mother.
ReplyDelete-Anna Herd
I want to be the kind of person that radiates warmth. I grew up in a closely knit home. My mother and sister mean the absolute world to me, and when I'm around them, I feel warm. That warmth stems from the visual love they hold for me and a sense of safety that I associate with them. When I'm older, I hope I can provide some of this feeling for others, for it's gotten me though many hard times. I want to be someone that 8-year-old me would have been proud of as well. Personal growth is something that I have been focusing on for quite a while, for I believe one shouldn't always be complacent with themselves. Growth is natural and should be sought out if possible.
ReplyDelete- Morgan McClellan
I simply want to be happy, doesn't any human? I've lived my more mature years looking at the rest of the world through a grey lens. There are no heroes, there are no villains, there is just humanity, and somehow this outlook tends to make me more gloomy. I'm just tired of watching crises go by and not having a care for it, not having a care for the world around me because I believe very few things actually matter. I'm just tired of not being able to be optimistic about the future, when I grow up I want to ditch my cynicism.
ReplyDeleteI would like to be a happy helpful person. I would like to keep others around me happy and healthy. I would like to be more confident in the future. I would like to be relaxed and enjoy every day of my life to the fullest it can be. I don’t want to be famous but, I would like to be a friend to many people even if I don’t know them, be someone that anyone could trust. But most importantly I want to be me. I don’t want to be forced into one thing or another by someone or something else.
ReplyDeleteWhen I am older, I hope to be the kind of person that embraces all the little things they enjoy and that make them themselves without worrying about what others may think of them. This is something I have struggled with for quite a long time. It often feels like I am in a tug of war between wanting to be unabashedly me while also fearing the potential judgment of others. So, when I grow up, I want to have the confidence to be me and to be proud of that.
ReplyDeleteWhen I grow up I want to be the person people feel like they can confide in. I want to be happy and successful according to what I consider that to be. I do not need to be rich or have a huge house. I just want to be financially stable enough so I do not have to worry as much as my parents did. I want to be someone who makes an impact on everyone they meet. I do not want to make a difference on a large scale. I want to make a difference by connecting to individuals and getting to know and understand them. In the movie Ender’s Game they talk about how you can not truly know your enemy without loving them. I want to live my life trying to understand people because knowing people is loving them. No one is your enemy when you love them. I want people to come to me and confide in me and know me and know that this is me loving them. I do not want anyone to think of me as mean or hateful or unapproachable.
ReplyDelete--Kimber Farris
As I grow older, I have many things I want to be in life. I want to be overall happy with the choices and paths that I chose over my lifetime, in fewer words, I want to live my life without regrets. I hope that I always choose the things that I want, rather than allowing others to control my decisions. Additionally, I want to be a kind person to everyone I encounter- I hope that I can be a friend to many. In the judgmental world we live in today, we can always use another friendly person, so I strive to be that person for someone.
ReplyDeleteWhen I grow up, I want to be me. I don’t want other’s opinions and wants to cloud what I really want in life. This does not mean I will not live to help others and be there to love people, but by living to be myself will remind me to not let people’s judgements overrule my joy. I believe this will help to increase my confidence and happiness. Living to impress myself will allow me to learn who I am— not someone else.
ReplyDeleteLearning to love who I am will help me to be more secure mentally, physically, and spiritually. My younger self would be so scared to feel so “selfish” like this, but with what little wisdom I’ve gained so far, I would be proud to see more confidence and self-love in my future self.
Malorie Larman
My main goal for myself when I grow up is to be a positive influence on those around me. Ever since I was young, like most other humans, I try to surround myself with positive people. Nothing irritates me more than being around someone who picks everything or everyone a part and can never say anything nice. I want to be someone that others want to be around and associate themselves with. I am a firm believer in nothing bad can come from having a positive attitude. You are always learning or having a good time as long as you look at every situation with positivity. A positive attitude can take you so far in life.
ReplyDeleteI really relate to your goal to be positive. There are so many negative people and aspects of life in general that can be very emotionally taxing at times. Although it is not possible to be completely positive all of the time, I think at least trying to be can make life feel more fulfilling.
DeleteI was fortunate to have very understanding and intelligent parents, and ever since the beginning, they have always told me to do what made me comfortable and happy. My dad has always been worried about job security for me, and I’m glad he has, but he certainly was the more technical side of it. My mom however has always been more involved with the emotional side of those subjects, and she has always listened to my interests and tries to be involved and help me explore that field. Both of them supported me becoming an anesthesiologist because that was my goal, it had very good job security, and it had the ability to not only provide me with good future opportunities but also my future family.
ReplyDeleteWhen I grow up, I want to look back at my life with no regrets. I want to look back and smile. I want to smile at everything I learned. I want to learn how to truly love myself, and those around me. When I grow up I want to be able to look back and see the difference I was able to make in the life of the kids I taught. My ultimate goal in life is to be happy, focus on the good, make a positive difference in the world, and love. I know that if I can accomplish these things, I will grow up to become what I have always imagined for myself. - Emily Ford
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ReplyDeleteWhen I grow up, I want to love myself so I can radiate the same amount of love that I give myself to others as well. I want to fill a room with love, great energy, and a positive attitude. I want to be the kind of person that I look up to which is my high school freshman teacher. She is someone who I envision that I want to be. This is because she is just the most caring person you will ever meet. I want to enjoy life to the fullest by having good friends, travelling, and meeting new people. Taking risks and living life to the present moment will help me achieve this goal of mine. When I am older, I hope that I will have the bakery/restaurant that I have been dreaming of because my passion is to cook and bake. -Vivian Tapia
I’ve never really thought about this simple question in this particular way. It is rather strange that kids don’t seem to be able to have dreams other than a certain occupation. As a kid, when I grew up I wanted to be a professional dancer or be a cashier at McDonalds (I swear this is true!) . The dancer dream definitely didn’t work out, but the lawyer dream is a little more realistic. A question of how do you want your life to be when you grow seems like a more interesting question to ask. When I grow up, I want to be as happy and content as I can be. I want to travel to each continent and see the parts of the world that seem forgeign right now. I want to have a career that truly makes change in the world. I want to see my kids enjoy life and to be whatever they want to be. I want to keep broadening my mind and staying optimistic about the future. Mostly, I want to look back at my life and think that I did the best I could.
ReplyDeleteWhen I grow up, I want to be someone who lives their life to the fullest and strives to inspire others. I want to live life with no regrets and truly make the most out of my life. I want to travel and find true happiness. I want to be able to inspire others, especially my younger siblings. I want to be a role model and someone that they can come to for guidance. I also want to help those in need and give back to my community. Overall, I want to spread positivity and happiness!
ReplyDeleteWhen I grow up I want to be completely perfect. This is a goal that I've had since I was a child. Yes, yes I know the old platitude. "Nobody's perfect." I don't buy it. I think that's the attitude that quitters have. I think that the only thing you need to do to reach your own personal concept of perfection is to try hard every day and keep going. I believe that when we stop reaching towards perfection is when we start dying and so I intend to never stop.
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