What Will I Do When I Grow Up?
We’ve all been asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” However; the average adult will change jobs over ten times within their working life, and only 27% of college graduates end up working in a job related to their major. So, hang on, are we asking the wrong question?
It would be so much easier if God came to us and said, “This is your life mission! Go forth and major in engineering!” However, the truth is God allows us the freedom and responsibility to figure it all out. So next time you’re asking the question, consider these tips from Father Moon:
Dream Big, Plan Small
“The crossroads of our life do not appear over a long period of time but in a single moment…If we take this one hour, we see that how we use it to become one with [God’s] Will is more important than to desire the Kingdom of God to come.” —Cheon Seong Gyeong.
Each moment, added up over a lifetime, makes us who we are. Having a big dream is great, just make sure that you aren’t living in the “someday” and forgetting about today. What can you do now, even if it’s just a small step forward?
Have a Broader View
“Your choice of occupation should not be based on just your talents and interests. Whether you become a firefighter, a farmer, or a soccer player is up to you. But what I am referring to transcends your occupation. What kind of life will you lead as a soccer player? How will you live as a farmer? What is your objective in life? To set your objective is to give meaning to the life you will lead.”—As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen.
We all want to live a life filled with love, and even though our careers are important, if we are lacking love then what are all our accomplishments worth?
Take Responsibility
“God endowed human beings with a portion of responsibility for the following reason. By fulfilling their given portion of responsibility, with which even God does not interfere, human beings are meant to inherit the creative nature of God and participate in God’s great work of creation.”—Divine Principle.
Our Heavenly Parent wants us to feel the passion, the inspiration, and the feeling of achievement after working hard towards our dreams. You’ve heard it said, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” God wants us to experience the whole journey of becoming who we are, and learn the lessons we need to learn in order to achieve our goals.
It’s Up to You!
The good news is that it’s up to you. It means that you have the power—you are the one responsible for your life. It’s great to have an idea of the things you want to do in the future, and set up your plans to get there, but if it’s not a hundred percent clear for you yet, don’t fret. Part of the magic is figuring it out along the way.
Whatever you do, attach it to the greatest purpose of all, to experience joy and bring joy to others, because every intentional step we take gets us closer to creating a world we love.