At a young age we are taught by our elders to aim high and reach for the stars. We carry this pressure to achieve early on in our lives. Some of us react to this peer challenge by excelling in school and sports. However, most of us resent this and would rather be left alone with our ideas on how to lead life.
I remember my dad talking to me about being either a doctor or a lawyer. The problem was he was trying to mold me into a person after his ideals. But he never took time to talk to me and really know whom I was. So, when my becoming a doctor or lawyer did not happen, It felt like I had let him down. But nah, that didn’t bother me too long since by then, I was beginning to develop an attitude. Life was to be lived to the fullest (my way) and it would be smart to enjoy stuff before getting too serious with life.
However, all of us, early on in our lives, have a vision of what we want to be. Be it a ballerina or a diva, maybe an athlete or an airplane pilot. There’s that dream person we always wanted to be lingering within us.
Like that Beatle song, our pathway is indeed a long and winding road. A lot of times we stray from that proper road to the future. But that’s great as long as we survive these bouts of experimentation. Each new exploit adds to our string of experiences. How else can we learn?
But what happens thru all these diversions is that we lose sight of our original plan. We forget about that ballerina in us, or that person within who wanted to fly planes. Growing up has distracted us from that dream we grew up with.
We find nondescript jobs that drive us into a rut. We complain about it to our friends and family hoping for sympathy. And of course, sympathy is free, so we get lots of it. Then we go back to our job that sucks. It becomes a cycle which we all get tired of. You’ll know you’ve reached that stage when you don’t like what you see in the mirror.
It takes a lot of strength and courage to make changes in our lives. I’m sure we know the answers to our problems. Making that decision to do something about it is the hard part. We always rationalize things.
Before we can become that dream person we want to be, standards need to be established. We can’t be that great ballerina without practicing or become a pilot without learning how to fly. These changes we need to make are stepping stones into our personal greatness.
Thinking big does not necessarily spell out money or fame. We feel big when step by step, thru small changes, we see the formation of that individual we always wanted to be. Then we gain confidence and learn to like the person in that mirror. Tonight, I will make sure my room is clean, or not eat that candy bar on the table. Tomorrow I will conquer the world!
John F. Lacson
jflriv@aol.com