What Do You Want To Be?

I was struck by this quote from John Lennon the other day:

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life.”

I’m sure some people will say this is cute. Others may say it is clever. I think it is profound. The fact that Lennon remembered the incident to report it years later tells me he also thought the idea was profound.

What did I want to be when I grew up? Many asked me that question. Probably you too! I never had a very good answer, as I recall. As years passed I was continually flummoxed by the question.

The simple answer is, ‘I want to be me’. Of course I want to be doing things that interest me. Most of the time, however, kids are pressed to think in terms of vocations, jobs, careers. Of course they don’t know enough about life to really answer correctly. A fireman? Policeman? Doctor? Nurse? Those are the usual responses.

As I work with youth and adults with problems, John Lennon’s answer makes more sense. It is also much more accurate.  To be happy. That covers a lot of territory. It means we are doing activities that reward us in little ways, mean something special just to us. It is not about money or success or the usual host of goals. It is about happiness. Feeling good about the self, the environment, the day to day routines. All of that.

Getting in touch with the inner self throughout life is an important task for each of us. It is a motivating factor in many personal decisions. Going with the flow is not a good lifestyle; it leads to shallow thinking on matters that lead to major decisions and commitment in life.

In my strategic planning career the single most important step was getting clients to focus on the basics: What is your organization’s mission, its prime reason for being? What makes your firm unique in the market place? What do you feel best about your organization?

When all of that is sorted out the next key step is uncovering the organization’s dream – how would you like to describe your organization 10 or 15 years from now? What will it become? Will its mission remain the same? Will your markets and methods of operation change? How successful will you become and how do you measure that?

Mission and Vision relies on basics. Like ‘happiness’ people and organizations have to remain true to themselves if they are to be successful, no matter how that is measured.

The key question remains: ‘What do you want to be when you….?’  Hopefully your answer will begin with ‘happy’.

June 20, 2013