What To Be When You Grow Up

If you can imagine it, you can achieve it.

If you can dream it, you can become it.

William Arthur Ward

What would you like to be when you grow up?

A Fire Chief? Teacher? Carpenter? Soldier? Web designer? Pilot? President???

Selecting a career path can be quite confusing but by developing your interests, skills and talents, your preference of likes and dislikes will materialize. You will gain clarity and direction to set and meet your goals. You can also give yourself permission to change your mind along the way.

Traps some people fall into include:

1. What if I can’t do the job
2. What if it’s not the perfect fit?
3. What if I don’t have the skill or ability?
4. What if I don’t know how to get from A to Z?
5. What if, after all is said and done, I can’t get a job in that field?
6. What if, after all is said and done, I don’t like it?
7. What if I won’t make enough money?

And on the worries brew until the feeling of being trapped in anxiety evolves.

There are ways to extricate yourself from anxiety:

1. Answer the What if questions. Are your responses logical or irrational?
2. Consider what you might say to a good friend.
3. Develop coping skills with the aid of support systems and/or counseling
4. Expose yourself to a variety of topics
5. Participate in an array of activities–music, art, dance, sports, drama
6. Take a career assessment test in high school or college to match your skills and interests with potential jobs
7. Interview someone already in your field(s) of interest
8. Research the how to’s
9. Determine whether your goals support your lifestyle or passion

This is your life. You are the one who ultimately decides how to climb out of your traps. So imagine it, achieve it, dream it, become it.