Author Name : Saanvi Gaba
“So, what do you want to become when you grow up?”
— is a question all of us get asked at some point in our lives. As children, we answer without hesitation. But as we grow older, the same question becomes less interesting and more intimidating. When you’re sixteen, you’re too young to know everything and too old to not have your life figured out. At sixteen, we’re suddenly expected to have a plan.. not just for tomorrow but for our entire future. If I talk about myself, I do have a plan. Yet I am ill at ease about my future. How can you expect a sixteen year old to have his/her whole life figured out? Are we growing up too fast?
The life of students has become a never ending competition. The weight of all the expectations causes us to act in this competing manner. I won’t deny that expectations are necessary for a child to rise. But anything more in quantity is harmful. At this age, we compare ourselves to all our friends, social media and it is totally normal. But everyone has their own pace and their own journey. We do not need to be better than someone we compare ourselves to. We just need to be better than the person we were yesterday. YOU are your own biggest competition.
Sixteen is supposed to be the age of discovering who you are. It is supposed to feel like fun sleepovers with your best friends and delectable ice creams in summer afternoons.
So, perhaps the question “What do you want to become when you grow up?” Needs a little change. Maybe we should ask— “Who do you want to become?” Not in terms of a job, a salary, a university or a title. But as a person.
Because in the end, the goal of growing up should not simply be to become someone. It should be to become someone you are proud to be. Maybe we need to remind ourselves that life is not a race with a fixed finish line.
And perhaps, that journey does not need to be rushed.
Stay happy. Stay proud.
