As children, we have so many aspirations and dreams; things we want to do when we “grow up.”
Interestingly, no one ever anoints you “grown-up” you just throw your back out one day lifting a stack of cookbooks, or calculate your rent and expenses only to realize…it’s here. This is contrary to what we think when we are children. Growing up isn’t a destination, it’s a journey.
It’s never too late to start over, or to keep dreaming bigger…though it does get harder.
At some point in all of our lives we become aware that our decisions open and close doors in our lives. The choice to accept or decline an offer, to stay or quit, to travel or nest. Each of these shapes the future.
The scary part for most people is that as we get older, there are fewer possibilities than before. There is less time to completely start over. There is less energy in the tank to make broad sweeping changes. In some cases, biological realities necessitate certain decisions to be made sooner rather than later.
None of this is necessarily bad, I’m just observing.
I think back on all of the decisions I made that were not “smart” and how so many of them led me here. Many of those decisions that went against common knowledge, are the same ones that led me to this great career.
As I write this, I’m sitting in an AirBNB in Cape Cod, preparing for a video shoot tomorrow. Earlier, I had a lobster roll and a cold beer. I’m currently wearing a Captain America T-Shirt and sweatpant jeans. I’m grateful, because my life is pretty cool.
I’ve recently encountered some younger people who are all wound up about their future. They are so in a rush to figure out the answer. In some cases, they are so quick to already have the answer.
It’s as if they believe that there is a single dream, and that once they get there, everything will fall into place.
If I could tell them one thing, it would be this:
There is no one, single destination. The life you’ve always dreamed of is actually a series of dreams that will change throughout your life as your environment and priorities change.
Just work toward being happy, and enjoy the ride.
…and now I’m going to go get another lobster roll.