What do I want to be when I grow up? Simple, I want
to be relevant. I don’t want to wake up one day when I’m fifty and wonder what I
have done with the best years of my life. I want to be able to smile and say, I
made a difference. Since relevant is relative, let me clarify.
No, I don’t want to be famous; I’m actually an
introverted person who values personal space and privacy more than anything. I
want to make a life-changing impact on someone’s life, be it one or ten or a
thousand but at least make a contribution to better someone’s life other than
my own. This particular someone should not be related to me in any way (it is
an unwritten rule that you are obligated to see to your family’s welfare so
technically that isn’t giving back but rather earning the status “member of
said family”).
No, I also don’t want to be a philanthropist.
Money may make a difference but it is not the only way to give back; there are
treasures that even money cannot buy. Maybe adopt an orphan and raise him/her
as my own or build a children’s home and give a child who didn’t have anything,
a fighting chance. Help preserve our precious environment. There is no limit to
the ways our society could benefit from a selfless contribution; pay it
forward.
I think now we are on the same page. I want to
wake up when I’m fifty, look outside my window and say, the world is a better
place and I played a small part in that. You define your own success; don’t get
me wrong, I want to make a shit load of money and give a better life to my kids
but my success doesn’t have to be limited to me and my family, I define the
scope.
Ask yourself, after you have gotten that dream
job, built that company from the ground up, made more money than you can
possibly spend, what then? You haven’t gotten to where you are by yourself and
you won’t get to where you want to be by yourself. You need that person to
believe in you, to invest in you and to inspire you. So be that person for someone
else.
As you enjoy the holiday and stuff your faces
this Christmas, as make your new year’s resolutions and goals; remember to ask
yourself, are you relevant? What do you want to be when you grow up? Also
remember, we are not growing any younger, these are the best days of our lives
so make a difference today, tomorrow might be too late. Happy holidays
people!!!
