How her insights impact our view of ourselves…

…and our future. 

In an address to the students of Howard University, Michelle Obama said “The question that I hate most that we ask of young people is, ‘What are you going to be when you grow up?’ And the truth is, I still don’t know, and I’m 45 years old.” 

I’m significantly older than Ms. Obama and I still don’t know what I want to be, nor do I want to know.  What I have is a direction in which I’m headed.  That sense of direction is all that I need to move forward.  It does not, however, allow me to know exactly what I’ll be doing in the future.  There really isn’t any way for me to know what opportunities my journey will present and which of them will be most attractive to me at the time. 

It’s counter-intuitive, but if I have a clear picture of what I want to do, keep my nose to the grindstone and work diligently toward that end, I’m likely to overlook opportunities that present themselves along the way.  I could easily pass up opportunities that offer greater psychic and financial rewards than the one I envisioned.  

There is another risk associated with having that clear picture of what you want to do.  The market may not share your interest.  Who among us hasn’t created something we thought incredibly exciting and valuable only to learn that we’re a party of one.

Keeping your eyes open as you move in the general direction you want your life to go will allow you to see what the market wants so that you can align its interests with yours.  That’s why it’s so important that, like our First Lady, you’re not overly concerned with what you’re going to be when you grow up. 

Please share your experiences in discovering opportunities you didn’t envision by posting a comment.  If there are topics you’d like me to address, send me an email at dale@furtwengler.com.