"Dream Big"

Today I spent a couple of hours at a local high school as a part of career day. The kids I met with are sophomores and juniors which I think is pretty young to be talking about careers, but it seems you need to know early on where you are going to college and what you are going to study. At least that seems to be the current trend of thought.

When I was in the eleventh grade my English teacher asked what I was going to study in college and on a whim I said law. Flash forward eight years later and I had gone to college and law school and passed the bar. I was locked into a career as a lawyer and that was not what I wanted to be. So getting kids to commit at an early age can be harmful to the rest of their lives.

When I spoke to the students today I told them to follow their passion and to study that which really appealed to them. I also asked tem what they would be if they could be anything in the world. One said a music producer, another said a food critic, another opted for being an actor, and on and on. These were their dreams and it thrilled me that they were dreaming big. I urged them to hold on to their dreams and think positively.

I always tell students that it took me twenty-something years to find out what I should be doing. I now spend my time reviewing movies, books and DVD's as well as writing books about my life. That sounds simple enough but it took me forever to get up enough nerve to just do it. Than I always add if they want to be a writer then use me as an example. If I can do it, they can do it.

As I looked at this group of students today I remembered something I had read in the newspaper this morning. It was an article on "the dumber generation" which is what they called the younger generation of today. Well I disagree with that analysis. I think kids are plenty smart today. I don't think they are challenged enough sometimes, and I also think in some instances we put too much pressure on them. There has to be a happy balance.

Too many of us today just want our children to be happy. In having this as our main goal we let our children get away with things we shouldn't excuse. We excuse slacking off when they should be studying. We excuse bad behavior because it can't be their fault, or so we think. Happiness is a great thing but some of our happiness comes from a job well done, and a career well developed.

I don't know all the answers to life's questions but I do know we should all dream big. We should aspire to the heights in the field we love and expect that hard work and energy will bring success. We should tell our children they are special and then help in any way to make that come true.

People who have great expectations in their lives are my kind of people. They are the people who know inside themselves they are special and they are the ones who dream big. 
 

 

 

 

 

©2008 Jackie K. Cooper

Click above to find out more about Jackie's books!