Be Careful How You Ask Young People This Question...

No matter where our team goes in the world, one of the questions we try to always ask young people is, "Do you like it when adults ask you what you want to be when you grow up?" Overwhelmingly the answer is No. Not because they're lazy or unfocused, but more so because they haven't figured it out yet and get stressed out over believing that they have to have their life all figured out already.

One reason I'm not a fan of that question is because most of the time when we ask that question, all we really want to know is how they are going to make money. And my belief is that when it comes to our identity, there should be so much more to who we are besides how we earn an income.

The other reason I'm not a fan of that question is because when you ask, "What do you want to be when you grow up, it insinuates that in order to be or do anything significant, you have to be grown up.

The way I rephrase that question is by asking young people to think about who and what they are becoming right now in terms of their attitude, actions, and aspirations.

This question was asked to me in a recent interview (watch video below) and it took me back to an experience I had in Malaysia at an American school I was honored to work with a few years ago.

I also want to share a tool we developed to help young people define, decide, and determine who they are.

Thank you always for the work you do for and with communities and please watch and share this video.