How on earth is that possible?

And it’s not like I’ve never been asked.

That question has been coming at me for decades now…usually from people who had their lives figured out far earlier than I did.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

When I was a kid, I had the same big dreams most kids have.

Mine just happened to involve becoming a professional basketball player.

Never mind the fact that I had very limited athletic ability…and absolutely zero support from my parents.

None of that seemed to matter back then...and I believed it with my whole heart.

But like most childhood dreams…reality eventually showed up.

When that dream faded, I assumed the answer would reveal itself eventually.

Sales guy...
Executive...
Entrepreneur...
Leader of something important...

For years I thought if I just kept pushing forward…eventually one of those labels would finally fit.

But the older I get, the more I realize something...

Maybe the question itself was wrong...

Maybe life was never about figuring out what you want to be.

Maybe it was always about deciding who you want to be.

And that part…that part is crystal clear to me now.

I want to be a man my wife can trust completely...

A father my kids are proud of...

A guy who keeps his word...

Someone people call when things get hard…not when things are easy.

Someone who builds things that help other people win...

Because the truth is…

Most of us spend our entire lives chasing the what.

The job...the title...the next rung on the ladder.

But when the dust finally settles…

Nobody really cares what you were...

They remember who you were.

So maybe the better question isn't:

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Maybe the real question is:

“Who do you want to be when it's all said and done?”

By Chris Errington