We all have some sort of life map in mind when we are growing up. From the moment we can form sentences people ask, "What do you want to be when you grow up?". Early career plans may involve striving to become a Princess or a Superhero, then later these aspirations die off to become mere Entrepreneurs, Presidents, or Doctors. Regardless of the end goal, we tend to be coached towards making career plans from a young age, and are expected to continuously speed down the prescribed highway, to whichever destination we have chosen.
So this is how we plan our lives, but how do we plan our road trips? If we insist on using metaphors about driving, highways, and destinations when we talk about life, taking a moment to consider the root of the metaphor can be a good idea. If we were driving from Seattle to San Diego, which sounds like a better route: the I-5, or Highway 101? I hear your follow-up question: "Well, how much time do we have?" My answer: does it matter? Is the point of your trip to take a trip and enjoy it, or is the point of your trip San Diego?
I'll pick Highway 101 every time. I would rather ride the shoreline and run out of time at San Francisco than stare at gas stations and see nothing the whole length of the country. Imagine having an adventure on the way to your destination. This isn't that much of a stretch to consider, yet the moment this line of thinking is transferred to career choices and life trajectories, some of us start choosing the I-5.
In a time when we are questioning the status quo in all areas of life, perhaps it is time to take a step even further back and question our metaphors too. Climbing the career ladder by blowing stop signs and hanging out in the passing lane is no longer the way to live this road trip. If climate strikes and BLM protests during a pandemic aren't enough to get you to reconsider what normal has been, then perhaps you should just hop on a flight to San Diego because you're a lost cause. Right now, the world needs everyone to take the next exit from the way things have been and get lost in the cloverleaf that will funnel us all onto the more beautiful, slower road. Wind your way through sleepy towns that haven't seen a tourist in years. Examine every stale part of the status quo, from the "what do you want to be?" question to the way the world treats pressing issues. Deeply examine the journey. Turn off the GPS and pull out a paper map. Give yourself permission to get lost.
So let's try again: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" First, never grow up, because that suggests finality, which in turn suggests your life is over, complete, and there is no more "being" to be done. Second, get rid of the status quo answer. Take the winding, beautiful road to find your career and yourself. Try being kind, being playful, and being a lifelong learner. Taking all of the twists and turns allows you to become the best version of yourself. Try listening to the voices around you, calling for you to get off the highway, and really think about your journey. By taking the detours and becoming the truest you, you just might find that career you're supposed to have, that is fulfilling and lucrative, though you will have already answered the big question multiple times while you search.
Your answers may surprise some with their unorthodoxy, "I'm not grown up yet," or "We'll have to wait and see," but that might shed light on the silliness of the question and perspective that you are your job. You are not your job, and you haven't yet reached San Diego. Those are both good things. You'll sleep better knowing you lived kindly every day, and you will wake up thirsting for the new day of wandering through your journey. This might even make you live longer so you may eventually have time to reach San Diego if you still want to.
I have discovered that I am a born wanderer, so if you break down on the highway, come join me rolling down Lombard street.
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