Why You Should Worry More About Your Character Than Your Job Title

We are constantly asked the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Most of us had different answers when we were children than we do now. We thought we could be anything in the world, from doctors and astronauts to unicorns. You name it, we could be it.

When we got into high school, this question became more real. We started to figure out what we liked and didn’t like, and we formulated plans.

While the plans were probably influenced by a friend or high school sweetheart's plans, ours were at least a little more realistic than becoming unicorns.

Then, we actually went to college, and most of us realized we had no idea what we actually wanted to be. Therefore, majors were changed, and in some cases, they were changed more than once.

Even when we are full-blown adults, we still get asked the question, “What do you want to be?” But who has an answer to this question, and why is it constantly being asked?

Even our New Year’s resolutions revolve around what we want to accomplish for the upcoming year, and how we want to change our lives.

We set goals to accomplish things we think we should be doing, so we can stop getting asked, “What do you want to be?”

It’s time to change the way we think. We should stop asking others this question and, most importantly, we should stop asking ourselves. Instead, we should focus on who we want to be.

Start asking children who they want to be when they grow up, and I’m sure you’ll get a different answer.

What exactly do I mean by the question “Who do you want to be?”

Instead of deciding you want to be an artist, writer or engineer, start focusing on yourself as a person.

Success is great, but if you’re suffering from depression, or you’ve run out of friends because you’re such an unpleasant person, then what does success really mean?

Start creating goals that build you up as a person. Who do you want to be in five years?

Do you want to be a kinder person? Do you want to be someone who can be relied on by your friends and family when they are in need? Do you want to be a more charitable person? Someone who donates their time and money to helping others?

Maybe you want to be a better child, better parent or better sibling. Start setting your goals to focus on these things, and improve who you are as a person.

This doesn’t mean you can’t still work toward success in other areas; it just means your focus should be placed more on internal improvements rather than external.

If you start to focus on improving who you are as a person, it will make you a happier, healthier individual. When you’re a happier and more pleasant person to be around, people take notice.

This can help you in the advancement of your career, or in the success of your relationships.

And when you feel good, you want to work toward success in other areas of your life. You create motivation within yourself.