I have many memories from my childhood of teachers, coaches, instructors and parents saying, “You can be anything you want to be when you grow up.” We’ve all heard it at some point. It has become ingrained in our culture alongside this idea of the “American Dream.” While the intent behind telling children this is pure, I think it’s misleading.
This sentence is usually followed by some list of potentials. “You can be a doctor. Or a lawyer. Or a firefighter. Or the next president of the United States!”
Even comedian/actor Chris Rock lays some truth on us about this in one of his segments,
“And I’m sitting there and this lady comes up and goes, ‘I want you children to know you can be anything you wanna be. You can be absolutely anything you wanna be.’ I’m like, ‘Lady, why are you lying to these children?’ Maybe four of them could be anything they wanna be. But the other 2,000 better learn how to weld… I’m looking at these kids right now. I count at least 60 Uber drivers… Really? They could be anything they wanna be? Then how come you’re a vice principal? Was that the dream? Did you dress up like a vice principal when you was a kid? Put your little vice principal hat on? Tell the kids the truth…. You can be anything you’re good at. As long as they’re hiring.’ And even then it helps to know somebody.”
Now introduce the dominance of social media in our lives. This has driven this rise of influencers. These influencers quite often come in the form of entrepreneurs who have made it big or started from nothing and now have an empire. All they had to do was “discover their passion.” Have you heard that before?
They may share their story on a podcast, or on a YouTube video or some other format. And then pretty soon you think all I have to do is find my passion and I will have this massive success. In fact, this person is offering me an online guide and 3 month course for only $3999, with a 10% off code right now! This is my ticket to “being anything I want to be!”
Now don’t get me wrong, I love some of these influencers and listen to them and digest their content on the regular. I often find inspiration or even tips for things like boosting creativity, increasing productivity, or finding and developing a mentor relationship. But I have had to take a step back and alter my mindset that I have had while taking in their messages.
I have often left a podcast or an article or a YouTube video from one of these influencers with a heightened sense of energy and inspiration that if I just find my passion, this is all going to fall into place and I might even leave corporate America and be getting paid just to show up and talk on a podcast! Then slowly reality sets in. I start to feel confused and lost. I have gone through every passion-discovering exercise you can think of. Each time is more depressing than the last. I feel like as I go back to my job and my reality, that I am somehow living an inadequate, mediocre life.
But after spending a few years of my career now perpetually feeling like I haven’t found “my thing” yet, I have had a bit of a revelation and it makes me want all of us to STOP telling people they can be whatever they want to be and to find their passion and one true calling and if it isn’t some grand endeavor, then it’s inadequate.
Professional sports is a great example. We often know at a fairly young age whether we actually have a chance to be a professional athlete. And once you settle into your truth and find that professional league probably isn’t attainable for you, do you quit sports? Probably not. In fact, you may develop some of your greatest skills, healthy habits, leadership and memories by participating in sports as a young adult.
Even star athletes sometimes have to have a moment of realization. Take Shane Battier for example. He was the best in the country his entire career through high school and college, only to get to the NBA and be labeled as average. But let’s not forget, he has 2 NBA championship rings. And as sports analyses have evolved, they have identified him as one of the primary reasons that the teams he was a part of tended to win.
So what I am trying to say is, we can’t keep getting so caught up in the fact that society tells us to constantly be striving for that big thing that’s going to change the world, or make us a billionaire, or someone who makes $50K an Instagram post that we feel that our role is not up to far – not enough.
It took me until I was 30 years old and a few years into my career before I realized that I have been so caught up with trying to find what I am meant to do, or what this magical passion is going to be, that I didn’t stop and appreciate the role I have been given and played well. I was working with an amazing group of women who have become my lifelong friends, marketing nearly half a billion dollars in sales a year. I was given the chance at 27 years of age to launch a product that our CEO said was the single most important launch for the future of our organization. I stood on stage in front of 500 people introducing them to this product for the first time, firing them up to go out and win. At 28, I was managing a top ten worldwide animal health product and saw it over the “blockbuster” sales line – a feat very few products have ever attained in this space. By 29, I was on set in Hollywood for TWO major commercial productions for my brands and watched the work we did air on major television networks during primetime. Before I was 30, I was hired as the first ever oncology global marketer for my company. And the ENTIRE time, I have felt inadequate or that I haven’t found my magic passion that will propel me to millions of followers and millions of dollars.
I am not saying this to make you think I am bragging in any way. I am saying this because I NEVER STOPPED TO SMELL THE ROSES.
So what we should be helping our children understand is that there are limitless possibilities in this world, and they can all be important. Try different things. Find what you are good at. Find what you enjoy. And whatever you do, it’s important. You are important. Whether you make $10 an hour or $100 an hour, you can be a successful person in each of those roles. You can play your part. It only takes one follower to be an “influencer.” You influence everyone around you. So influence well and enjoy the journey, no matter how simple or extravagant it may be.
Happy Trails,
Diana
Ranch n' Business 
Very well said!!
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