What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

Apparently, I still haven’t decided what I want to be when I grow up. 😂

Now, before anyone gets concerned, I’ve had a pretty full career. Teacher. School administrator. Superintendent. Entrepreneur. Author. Speaker. Coach.

I’ve collected degrees, certifications, titles, and experiences along the way. By most traditional measures, I think I’ve successfully answered the question.

Except… Why do we assume it’s a question we’re only supposed to answer once?

Think about it. When we’re little, adults LOVE asking us what we want to be when we grow up.

An astronaut!

A veterinarian!

A teacher!

The President!

A dinosaur!

(Okay, maybe that last one was just an especially ambitious kid.)

And we celebrate those dreams. We encourage children to imagine possibilities without worrying too much about whether they’re realistic.

Then something happens. We grow up. We choose a path. We get an education, start a career, build a life, and begin collecting responsibilities. And somewhere along the way, the question changes. Instead of asking what we want to become, people start asking what we DO.

As though the answer is settled. As though becoming is something that ends when adulthood begins. I find that fascinating. Because I know things about myself today that I couldn’t possibly have understood when I was younger.

I’ve discovered interests I didn’t know I had. I’ve developed skills I never imagined needing. I’ve changed my mind about things I once believed with absolute certainty. I’ve experienced joy, heartbreak, success, disappointment, and more unexpected plot twists than I care to count. And all of those experiences have changed me. So why would I expect my dreams to stay exactly the same?

Here’s what I know today. I want to keep writing. I want to keep speaking. I want to have conversations that make people think differently. I want to travel, experience new cultures, eat incredible food, and make memories with the people I love. I want to keep learning things that surprise me. I want to be brave enough to try things I might not be good at. And I want to remain open to possibilities I haven’t even imagined yet. But more than anything, I don’t want to reach a point where I decide I’m finished becoming.

I don’t want to stop being curious. I don’t want to stop dreaming. I don’t want to stop asking, “What if?”

Because I suspect there are still versions of Megan I haven’t met yet. And I’m genuinely excited to get to know them.

So, what do I want to be when I grow up? I’ll let you know when I’m done growing. And I hope that takes a very, very long time.

Let’s keep the conversation going. Follow Megan on Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok for more reflections on authenticity, values, and everyday life.