1 post tagged “future”

1. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Who says I ever plan on growing up? I think the secret to happiness lies in becoming responsible and mature while still remaining young at heart, and I honestly try to do that to the best of my ability. If you're talking career though, I'd like to continue growing and building on what I'm doing currently. I'll always write and I'll always make art because I love it so much. Those things have been part of my life since childhood and when I'm not actively doing them at a given time, I actually feel kind of lost.

I would also like to continue exploring more options that are related to my interest in astrology. I'm turning out to be really good at doing it on a professional basis, and it obviously merges well with my ability to express myself through both writing and art. I'd also like to someday explore more options in regards to combining my interest in writing with my interest in wine and food.

2. What did you want to be when you were younger? How does this compare with your life now and your vision of your future life?

When I was younger, I don't know that you could really call me very ambitious. I equated the idea of having a career with being chained to a desk and living at the mercy of some boss whom you may or may not get along with. That was before I found out it was possible to find ways to do things you love and that you're good at within parameters that feel comfortable to you. 

I did nevertheless half-heartedly consider several options as far as a career path goes, since we all have to do something. I majored in psychology for a while, and thought about becoming a therapist. I also considered turning my love for animals into a veterinary career. I even actually worked as a veterinary technician for a while, but nothing I tried was a very good fit. At heart, I guess I've always been a quiet, creative type.

As far as how all that compares to where I wound up, I guess I thought I'd probably be directionless, or else trapped in a job that didn't really fit me, for the rest of my life. I never imagined that I'd actually find work that I love and actually look forward to what the future might bring my way from a career standpoint.

3. Are there dreams you've given up on for reasons other than changing desires? What made you give up on them, and how do you feel about them in hindsight?

Like I said, I don't know that I ever had "dreams" in the way most young people do. In many ways, I'm learning to dream for the first time at this stage of my life because I'm only just now reaching a point where I'm exploring different places to live, career options, and choices in regards to how I can live my life. I had no idea there were so many choices out there. In regards to dreams though, I don't believe in giving up on anything you really want or believe in. It turns out that a lot of things are easier to accomplish than they seem at first.

4. Are there things (like marriage or college) that you've always believed would be part of your life? Did you get them? Are you still looking? Have you moved on?

Well, I guess most of my thoughts about the future when I was young revolved around the idea of being in a major relationship or a marriage. However, after a bunch of failed relationships, I've kind of given up the ghost in regards to ever finding a perfect one. I'm just not someone that can make my life about someone else, nor do I want to be anymore. I do still value the idea and the experience of being in a relationship, but I no longer expect to get total fulfillment out of it. I've learned to turn to my career and personal achievements for that, and I have to admit that my mother was right. That's a much better, healthier way to go.

I also suppose I hoped travel would be a bigger part of my life by now, but alas. I've lacked the funds to really make that happen. I also think I've lacked the independence, but all of that has been changing dramatically in recent years. Traveling is something I've always wanted to do a lot of in my life -- especially in regards to Europe. I'd honestly even like to try living in England, Ireland, Scotland, or France if the opportunity ever presents itself. I have definitely not given up on that dream. I still am very serious about making it happen someday.

5. What is part of your life now that you would never have imagined as a child or teenager?

Probably responsibility. As I touched on above, I always imagined myself married to a husband that could and would take care of all that stuff for me, but life really didn't work out that way. I didn't see or want a career, a full life like I have now, or any sort of variety and change at all. I guess I imagined my entire life as turning out very different from the way it did, but I'm hardly disappointed. I don't think I would have been truly happy as a common hausfrau, to be honest, and it really would have been a shame. Even if I do say so myself, I'm really very talented in a number of different ways, and it would have been a shame not to have gotten a chance to really explore what I could do with those talents.