When I was a little kid, I wanted to be a teacher. I made my grandma buy me a teacher kit from some old toy magazine and I would print worksheets off of the internet; whenever, my friends came over we would play school where I, of course, was the teacher. As I got older, I decided I wanted to be a doctor. So again, I made my grandma buy me a doctor kit with a real stethoscope for my birthday, and again whenever my friends came over we would play hospital, where they always had some chronic illness which I would miraculously cure, saving their life.
When I turned nine I learned that doctors had to go to school for what seemed like forever and I instantly changed my mind. I jumped from phase to phase wholeheartedly: a fashion designer, an author, a detective, a vet; but, always I would learn of something much cooler and suddenly change my mind. I always had this idea in my head that I could only be one thing. For some reason, I thought there was no way I could be a scientist who likes to cook, or a teacher who loves animals; I thought choosing a career was choosing yourself.
Little kids often get asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" They are told to put a label on all of their thoughts and dreams. As you get older, adults keep asking you these sorts of questions, and you begin to label yourself as being just one thing. You begin labeling yourself as an athlete or an actor and at some point you begin to transform into that thing.
For a long time, in my mind I was only one thing; if you asked me who I was I would probably tell you that I played tennis before I even told you my name. At some point, I realized I wasn't just one thing; in fact, I am many things. I am a tennis player, a Catholic, a reader, an internet addict, and a kid who went through a lot of different phases; but most importantly, I finally see myself as all of those things and many more. I believe in being true to yourself. I believe in trying as many things as possible, and jumping into them wholeheartedly. But, most importantly, I believe in believing in many things.
