Did you know that you can be anything you want? You can. Do you truly believe that?
In today’s world it’s common for parents to tell you at a young age that you can be anything you want – an astronaut, an actor, even the President. They tell you the world is full of possibilities and that you can do anything and be anything! It’s as if your parents are taking online Tony Robbins courses while you sleep.
But then for some reason as you get to high school and college age those same parents begin pulling back their positive affirmations for you and scaling back your dreams. Tony Robbins is gone and now it’s just your boring old parents again. The conversations of “you can be anything you want” have been replaced by “you should major in Accounting because it pays well”.
5 years ago you could be an astronaut, now all of a sudden you’re an accountant? Gee that’s inspiring. Mom and dad should start a motivational speaking tour.
So, what changed from just a few years ago when you were a young kid? Why could you be an astronaut at age 8 but at age 18 you are being told accounting is a nice safe profession?
Well, the sad fact is that your parents place the limitations of their lives onto your lives. When you’re 8 years old they like to tell you that you can be anything you want because the time for you to take action on becoming what you want is so far away. It’s a dream. No one has to actually think about the steps it would take to become and astronaut.
As you draw closer to the age of actually choosing a profession however, your parents start pulling back their belief in the possibilities for you. They have no idea how someone actually becomes an astronaut so they begin pushing you in a direction that they have familiarity with. They don’t know any astronauts, they know accountants. To them astronauts are magical creatures plucked from the sky whereas accountants live next door and drive the same car that your parents do.
Did you know that you can be anything you want? You can.
Your parents also want to minimize risk for you. They want you to choose a career that is safe and pays well. They want you to choose a career that has a very well defined and clear path. Accountants go to college for four years, get their CPA and then get jobs that make decent money. It’s very straight forward, it’s safe. Astronauts…”Well, who the hell knows?” they figure. They can’t let you walk down an unknown path and feel good about it.
Even though you’re 15, 18, 21, or even 38 your parents still want to coddle you and protect you. And God love them for it. But they’re not doing you any favors by trying to protect you when you’re deciding your future.
Your parents are awesome. They love you and they want the best for you. But…this is your future. You can’t let their limitations and their view of the world restrict and suffocate your dreams.
The right question to ask is, do you want to live out your dreams or do you want to live out the muted, restricted dreams of your parents?
You can become an astronaut, or actor, or even the President! Do you know how I know that? Because there are astronauts, actors, and Presidents! If it’s been done before it can be done again.
Do you know how to become an astronaut, actor, or President? Hell no! Are they the easiest professions to achieve? Also no. But those aren’t the right questions to be asking. The right question to ask is, do you want to live out your dreams or do you want to live out the muted, restricted dreams of your parents?
If you want something you need to go for it, period. You truly can be anything you want and astronauts, actors, and Presidents prove it every day. They are not magical unicorns that come from outer space. They are everyday people like you and I. They simply had a dream and pursued it.
If they can do it, you can do it to. You truly can be anything you want.