One of my favorite commercials was an ad for Monster.com.
It showed fresh-faced kids looking into the camera and
sharing their dreams for the future. We're accustomed to
kids saying they want to be a doctor, or an astronaut, or a
ballerina, but instead these kids said, "When I grow up, I
want to be a brown nose," and "When I grow up, I want to be
in middle management" and "When I grow up, I want to be a
yes-man."

The kids are so cute and their answers are so absurd you
can't help but laugh. But looking at your own life, can
you still laugh? Or are you on the verge of crying,
because you are stuck in middle management, you have a
brown nose, and you are definitely a yes-man (or woman).

Kids have a distinct advantage over most adults: they are
free to dream. If a 10 year old says "I want to be a
doctor," everyone smiles and says "You can do it. You can
be anything you want to be." If a 40 year old mother of
three says "I want to be a doctor," most of the people
around her will likely say "Go back to school at your age?
Where will you find the money? Do you have any idea how
long that will take?" What's wrong with that picture?

Who put an age limit on dreams?

I am particularly fond of a quote by Mark Twain. He says,
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the
things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. Sail
away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in our sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover."

Ask you inner child what he or she wants to be when they
grow up. I dare you.

Myrtis Smith is the founder of Premeditated Life. At
Premeditated Life we have one focus - Your Career. As a
career coach I offer a variety of services designed to
improve your professional skills, support you in your
career transitions, and empower your job search.
For a FREE Career Assessment contact us at
coaching@premeditatedlife.com