Career?!

The future, what does it hold? The question that every person is asked repeatedly throughout their childhood "what do you want to be when you grow up?" to which the answer at a young age for me was a coffee shop owner. I was obsessed with the idea honestly, even today the thought often crosses my mind of spending my days making wonderful coffee and serving exquisite food to happy and satisfied customers. I would love to be able to create a place of my own like that, but competition is high and you have to be good, really good to gain a great group of loyal customers. As I got a bit older say 13/14 when people asked me that 'wonderful' question, I would reply with lawyer, that's exactly what I wanted to do. I had everything planned out in my head of exactly how my life was going to go with my plans of being a lawyer at the forefront of my mind. Then at the age of 17 I realized that even as strong as I felt about justice and how important that was to me, being a lawyer just wasn't something I was passionate enough about to dedicate my life to it. I felt that I would end up very bored and regretting my decision and to study law is a long and time consuming process; so that plan went out the door and I was left with nothing. I had no clue what I wanted to do, and i've never had that epiphany moment of thinking of this magical career that I so desperately wanted to follow. No I just think of about 100 things a day that I could be. 

Now that word, be, why does our career have to define what or who we are. Society puts a label on each individual according to what career path you have chosen to or not take. If you're a stay at home mum your labelled as that, sometimes in a positive way, sometimes in a negative. If your a doctor or a lawyer, your labelled as someone who is intelligent and hard working. If you are a tradesman or a hairdresser you are portrayed as someone who couldn't be bothered getting a university degree. For every position there is a stereotype that follows that career path. For me I get annoyed and frustrated at this, why is someone who has decided to be a hairdresser or make-up artist any less intelligent than a doctor or a businessman, maybe that was just a path that they personally choose to go down because that is what they are passionate about. I know that not everyone sees individuals this way, but this world labels us and categorizes us by what we choose to 'be'. 

I guess with my little rant what i'm really trying to say is why does our career have to define has, why does that have to make us who we are. Why can't each individual be seen for who they are and not what they are. For me tight now I'm at the confusing stage, one that I know many people have experienced. The feeling of the unknown. Not knowing what the future holds, not knowing where to go from here. I'm just trying to understand what is the best fit for me and trying to figure out if the career I pick is something I can see myself in for a long time. The dilemma I have though is that I always feel like whenever i think of a career i always think of the stereotypes that go along with it and it can make things a lot more difficult than they have to be. 

I guess I just have to truly follow my heart and my head on this one (as corny as that sounds). Because I am not defined by my career and i'm not defined by what people say about my career. I'm defined by who I am as a person, how I treat other people and how I act in general as a member of society. How I judge or choose to not judge other people and how I love others.