Your 5-year-old Self Would be Ashamed of You
The Timeless Principle of Ambition
This is one in a series of essays that was originally conceived as a book for print publication. If you enjoy it and would like to read more from the collection, you can find a sort of Table of Contents here.
“What are you going to be when you grow up?”
We’ve all been asked that question as kids, and we all had the greatest answers: a fireman, an astronaut, the President…
All really ambitious goals, especially for five-year old kids who couldn’t even spell “president” yet.
Then, as we got older, we started learning and developing. We built up impressive sets of skills and a backlog of experience. We did the best we could to apply ourselves so we could finally graduate and become…
What?
An entry-level clerk in a cubicle? A middle manager in a corporate jungle? Dissatisfied? Bored?
What happened?
What happened to our dreams? Our impressive goals for our future? Why do so many of us settle for ho-hum when we shot for heroic as kids?
Not to say that an entry-level position is a bad thing at all. Or middle management, for that matter (although from personal experience, I have to say middle…
