Drive and ambition

I’ve been thinking a bit lately about life goals. It stemmed from a conversation I had with my dad where I joked that I should have been a dentist because they charge like a wounded bull and don’t seem to have to do too much. He expressed his wish once again that I should have been a doctor or a lawyer. I reminded him I would have been bored or miserable doing these (we’ve had this conversation before) and lamented that I never did know what I wanted to be when I grew up.

You see, I’m jealous of people with career ambitions. I never had that burning desire to be a fireman or a ballerina. I did briefly flirt with the idea of being a nurse in kindergarden before I realized you have to deal with people’s bodily fluids all day. However, even now, I don’t know what I want to do in my working life. I’ve fallen into all of the jobs I’ve had and since I’ve been pretty good at them I’ve just toddled along. I don’t want to climb the corporate ladder or give up the cubicle life to make jewelry (“She's Making Jewelry Now") My vintage homewares Etsy shop is more of a hobby than an actual way to make money.

I constantly hear and read about people who knew exactly what they wanted to do with their life when they were young. And others who discover later in life a burning passion and find joy in pursuing something they never even thought of. I want that for myself!

I’m currently reading Arnold Schwarzenegger's autobiography ("Total Recall"), and he is one of those people who knew exactly what he wanted from childhood, and had the drive to achieve it. He writes about how he consciously set himself goals and always worked very hard to achieve them – whether it was success in bodybuilding, business, movies or politics. It’s a pretty amazing read, I recommend the book.

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So now, I guess I just need to get over my jealousy of people who know what they want to do with their lives and find my passion. Meanwhile, I’m taking inspiration from Aussies I follow on social media like Jess Van Den of Epheriell Designs (silversmith extraordinaire) and Peggy Saas from cake crumbs and beach sand (amazing food photographer).

Do you have ambition? Did you always know what you wanted to be when you grew up?