Whenever I meet someone who says that they’ve dreamed about their profession or career path since they were a little kid, I’m amazed. It’s not just the perseverance that impresses me (though it does!), it’s the fact that they had desires and goals that were that persistent.
When I was a kid, I had no idea what I wanted to do – and the things I did want, I’m certainly glad I don’t do now. I’m very happy with my life, but I got here in a long series of experiments and adjustments as I figured things out. That’s a valid path, of course! But so is the other way, and it impresses me because it’s not my way.
Today I took my kids to a real fossil dig site (I happen to live in a part of the world that’s well-known for being a hotbed of paleontology). My middle child has dreamed of becoming a paleontologist since she could understand what a dinosaur was. And while she was there, starry-eyed at all the real paleontologists she got to interact with as she dug up fossils, she made everyone laugh several times with small comments. They all said: “She’s exactly like we were at her age. She belongs here.”
She’s 8. I don’t know if that’s really where she’ll end up, of course. But I see in her something I never saw in myself at that age. A dream with a path. A joy in a pursuit that makes sense in the world. If she doesn’t go that route, c’est la vie. But if she does… Well, let’s just say I’ll be joyously impressed.
The Opportunity Machine 