Do not think you can be anything you want to be!
One of the most prominent white lies I have heard in my life so far is when someone else, especially my parents, telling me that I can be anything I want to be!
It’s a great pep talk. Unfortunately, it’s one of the common fallacies in life. The truth is, you can’t be everything you want to be; however, you can be everything you are by finding who you really are.
If we can be anything we want to be, you should go to the closest McDonald near you and ask the manager why you don’t want to be something else? Was it your childhood dream to be a fast-food chain store manager when you grow up? No offence to the cleaning profession, but I have never found a child who wants to be cleaner after turning 18.
Unless you have a billionaire parent like Bill Gates, you will not be anything you want to be. Instead, discover what you have around you in terms of resources and relationships, and make sure you utilise these assets as much as you can.
Why would you want to be someone else instead of yourself? Let’s take a detour and talk about the impact of being some else.
There are an enormous amount of obstacles in our lives, every once a while when you get tired of dealing with them, your mind started to meander and you might be thinking “what if I can be Elon Musk and having billions of dollars at my disposal?” “What if I can be rich and famous?”
You are not alone. It’s common for the human brain to have that kind of fantasy. As a matter of fact, fantasising ourselves in a parallel universe is one of the primary functions of our brain, it is what makes us human. It’s the reason we invented aeroplanes (not the fish), so I don’t have to swim from New Zealand to New York to see the Statue of Liberty.
However, when you imagine being someone, your most instinctive way of doing that is by thinking about all the positive benefits of being them. It’s what I called a mental escape.
When our mind is in that state, we intend to only focus on the glamour parts; we rarely think about all the negativities that come with it that may override all the benefits.
Sure, being Justin Bieber is incredible, everything you ever wanted is waiting for you. Car, millions of fans, money and beautiful house. So does that mean Justin is happy all the time?
The answer is a resounding no. I am sure there are tons of trifles Justin has to deal with, not to mention the enormous social pressure he gets from everywhere. Are you willing to tackle these insurmountable challenges too?
However, you can be everything you are. It’s mission-critical to learn your innate talent and ability along the journey of life.
Your biggest challenge before turning 30 should be the quest of finding who you really are. Don’t waste your time living in someone else’s life. It’s better to live in your imperfection because it is the most authentic, meaningful and powerful.
How do you find the most authentic version of yourself living inside you?
Many college graduates would like to travel for a year before starting to look for jobs. Most people might misinterpret their actions, and consider the year-long travel is just an excuse to delay the reality.
I never had the opportunity to travel after my three-year college stint, as I was in the process of applying for the resident visa so I can stay in New Zealand as long as I want. This has been one of the biggest regrets of my life, once you start working and later having your own family, the definition of travel changes dramatically.
Most people take that trip as a quest to find their inner selves. I look at it differently. I believe the destinations don’t matter at all because that journey is inward.
By travelling, not only you will be able to find your place in this world, but also who you really are and what you are made of. You can’t expect yourself to discover who you are by sitting at the same spot doing the same mundane chores every day. Travelling stimulates your brain and invokes your curiosity, leading to the discovery of the most authentic version of you.
Find who you are, and make the best of yourself, that’s my definition of success.
