What Do You Want to BE?

Uncovering your Ikigai

Illustration from Eduardo Salles

It's a question we were all asked as kids.

What Do You Want to be When You Grow Up?

I love this illustration from Eduardo Salles because it was true for me as it was for many of us growing up during the space program's heyday and going to the Moon.

It is important to remember those dreams you had as a kid because they will tell you a lot about what you want 'to be' today.

For me being an astronaut meant making a difference, solving problems, exploring/inventing new things, and making the world a better place.

Those are things I'm still passionate about today and are part of my Ikigai.

I'm not going to be an astronaut; my gifts and dreams are being expressed in other ways, which is okay.

How about you, what did you want to be?

There are better questions to ask kids. As adults, however, it allows us to recall those sparks of interest from our childhood.

What is it about those things that appealed to you? Are there elements of that in what you do today? Could you add more of those things to what you do today?

Here are some bonus questions to ask kids or yourself...

🌱 What problems do you want to solve?

🌱 Who are the people you admire, and why?

🌱 What kind of person do you want to be when you grow up?*

🌱 Adult version-What kind of person do you want to be now as a grown-up?

🌀Some of you will find interesting answers to these questions.

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