What I Wanted To Be

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Good evening, fellow toastmasters and friends.

I was in 2nd grade, staring on this question in my paper. Thinking any answer that would get me a perfect score and my mom would give me some coins so I can buy candies and chocolates.



I was blankly staring at my assignment. And then an idea came out; I really wanted to be a nun; I wanted to wear the cool long dress where people can only see my face. So, I imagined myself wearing the cool long dress, but since I don’t like the usual light blue color, I drew a cute pink dress with a lot of flowers into it. And butterflies will follow me around. Wouldn’t that be great?

Few years later, I wanted to be a teacher. I wanted to be someone whom children will listen to. So, I imagine myself teaching energetic little kids. We will be singing all day; we will be dancing all day. We will be drawing, all day!

3 years later, I wanted to be a secretary. I love taking down important details and sudden ideas that I might forgot later. So, I practice my penmanship. I write. I draw. I write. I draw.

When I was in High school, I wanted to be a businesswoman. I wanted to have a tall building and I will hire my parents, my grandparents, uncles and aunties to work with me. So we can see each other everyday. I drew my plan. There will be 5 tall buildings and on the center lies a big beautiful garden, where people can have a nice talk, ride bicycles, read a book, and paint the peaceful scene.

When I was enrolling in college, I didn’t know what course I wanted to take. So I enrolled the first course that I saw on the choices – Information Technology. I don’t want my parents hardships go to waste and I don’t want to put myself on the list of students who didn’t go well.

I studied well. I memorized everything that I can. I wrote down everything that I had memorized, everything. Enough to delete the temporary files I have stored on my memory. So I can have the extra memory to imagine beautiful things again.

I just realized that I can’t remember any words, formulas and codes, But, I can remember the heartwarming feeling whenever I imagined something, drawn something, design something.

Fellow Toastmasters and Friends, did you notice something common in all my dreams?

• I wanted to be a nun, wearing a cool long dress colored pink with flowers into it.
• A teacher, so I can teach kids and we will be drawing all day.
• A secretary, so I can write down details and ideas. So I practiced writing and drawing.
• A businesswoman, so I can be with my relatives. So I draw a plan, design a building.

See the similarities? I wanted to imagine, to create, to draw and to design!

However, the thought of pursuing my passion didn’t seriously across my mind. I know that as long as I work hard, the degree that I have achieved will pay the bills. But, wouldn’t that be boring?

Also, I think. If I am a programmer, I would be fired months after, that is, if I won’t resign.

Remember, The 2005 Jobs Stanford Commencement Address? He said,

I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.

So, ask yourself. What do you want to be when you grow up?

We don’t stop on growing. Our wanted may not just be 3 or 10. We wanted to be almost everything we wanted to be. But we only have one thing that we really love.

Think about it,

• What do you want to be?
• What do you really love?
• What are you?

When I was younger than I am now, I wanted to be a nun, a teacher, a secretary and a businesswoman. Yes, I really want to.

I didn’t notice but I realize later on, is that I am deeply in love with the idea of creating, imagination, drawing and designing. This is what I am.

So, when I grow up, I wanted to be me.