An Uncomplicated Life Blog: Fulfilling A Childhood Dream

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Fulfilling A Childhood Dream

Have you met all your goals and dreams you had as a child, or has your life turned out completely different than planned?


As 2016 draws to a close, I find it fun to do a little reflecting. Not just on business and personal goals for the year, although those are important, but this year I'm thinking a little bit deeper: Have I fulfilled some, any or all of my childhood dreams? I use the word dream instead of goal because as a child, you don't know what a realistic goal is, you just wildly dream and follow your interests. It's fun to look back and remember what I wanted to do and where I thought I'd be when I was a girl and compare that to where I am now. Let's see if I fulfilled any childhood dreams, and I'm interested to learn if you have, either!

The photos in this post are photos of photos, because digital wasn't a thing back in the 80's and 90's.

Baby Paige and toddler sister!

Professionally, I wanted to be a singer or a model when I was in grade school. Did I fulfill that childhood dream? Well, the thing is, I can't sing. AT. ALL. So that absolutely didn't happen. Like, I don't even sing along to the radio in the car because I'm so bad, I'll ruin it for myself! I didn't really think about that in grade school, I just really wanted to be Mariah Carey, pre-boob job and diva status.

Modeling, on the other hand, did happen. From my late teens to early 20's I did a number of runway shows. I had a contract for fashion week in 2009. Modeling was, hands down, the crappiest job ever! Your body is just used to show clothes and you're poked and prodded at. People make comments on your figure, your hair color, your nose, everything. You need some thick skin to be a model! And most of it is a lot of waiting around. Call times would be 7 or 8am but I wouldn't actually get styled until 4pm and the show wasn't until 8pm. Sure the pay was decent but man, those are some LONG boring days. If I ever have a daughter, there's no way I'd get her into that industry. No. Way.

Circa 1994 with tortoise glasses and oversizeed flannel, playing dolls with my sis under the tree

My family life childhood dream was to be married by 28 and have four kids. Did I fulfill that dream? Close! I got married at 29, so I didn't miss the mark too much. After my first pregnancy and baby, I realized that four kids is an insane amount of children, so that's never gonna happen for me. In fact, that's a childhood dream I absolutely don't want to fulfill! No thank you.

As I child, I dreamed about going to college and perhaps getting a graduate degree too. Did I fulfill that childhood dream? Check and check! Honestly, I was more into socializing and athletics in high school, but I still managed to get good grades in enough AP classes to get me into a nationally ranked university. College was where I figured out I really like learning! I did my undergrad in 3.5 years and took graduate level classes to boot. I graduated with a 3.9GPA. After working for a few years in a soul-sucking corporate job I managed to get a free ride to grad school. So not only did I fulfill this childhood dream, I CRUSHED it.

1996 at my b-day party. Believe it or not, I was one of the popular girls in 6th grade. That gem of a sweater was from Express. Do people still shop at Express?!

I absolutely never wanted to own my own business as a child. Did I fulfill that dream? Hahaha, here I am with my own brand and business! See, my stepmom owned her own business and my sister and I would work with her on and off throughout our teen and college years. I saw how hard she worked. I thought, why would anyone want to work that hard? I thought, no thanks, I'll take a 9-5 job with a guaranteed paycheck. I did that for 10 years and there's something to be said for regular pay and regular hours. 

What I didn't understand as a child was that when you really like what you do, it doesn't feel like work. I remember commuting into my office job in my late 20's, dreading the day. With grant writing you either have very little to do or far too much to do. It drove me CRAZY when I only had two hours of work to do but had to sit in my office for the full "8 hour workday"! And then when I was in the busy season, I'd work long days, bring work home but still get the same paycheck. With owning my own business, I always get to control how busy I am. If I have capacity, I seek more paid work. If I don't have any paid posts in the works, I focus in on a skill to improve it so that I land more paid work, or I spend more time marketing my posts. If my to-do list is done, I get to spend the day however I want, not stuck in an office! The flexibility, especially with a young family, has been amazing. So I did the exact opposite of my childhood dream, and I'm much happier for it!

20 year old Paige and 21 yr old sis finally outgrew their ugly phases and tore up the streets in Prague

It's fun to think back on my dreams as a child and see what's worked out and what was left as just that: Dreams. For the most part, I've stuck to what I hoped for as a girl! A few things were never meant to be, like me being a singer. Some things were meant to be that I thought I didn't want, like owning my own business. It's so fun to compare your life to what you'd thought it would be like when you were a child, dreaming without limits.

11 comments:

  1. I'd pretty much say you crushed all your dreams girl. I always wanted to be a singer as well but damn I was not blessed with a singing voice that is for sure. My niece is taking voice lessons now. Such a difference in this new generation growing up now right? There is a class or private lesson for everything lol

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  2. You totally exceeded your dreams girl. The one dream for me that changed was wanting to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, my dream in middle school. Oh and not having kids, haha! Glad both didn't come true.

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  3. Such a great post. I love to reflect on my childhood and compare what I thought I would be to who I've actually become. I usually find that Childhood me would be pretty pleased for the most part but kind of disappointed that I'm not a rockstar yet!

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  4. Hehe This was fun to read! I need to sit down and think about my childhood dreams.

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  5. Such an awesome post I love reflecting on what I have become and how the world as shaped.

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  6. That was such a fun read! I wouldn't want my daughter in the modeling industry, either. And corporate jobs ARE soul-sucking. :) Happy to see you doing your thing and crushin' it! :)
    xoxo, erin | sandsunandmessybuns.com

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  7. I love this post and your reflection. I too, dream of having my own business! :)

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  8. HAHA I loved reading this because I see so much of myself. I actually never wanted to own a business at all, just a good job with good pay so I can travel... now I'm here traveling for my business and never sleeping because running a business can suck sometimes. OH WELLZ. PS - 4 children?! #SoManyPoopyDiapers

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  9. Child Paige would be SO proud of adult Paige - you killed it and then some! I always thought I would have 4 kids as well. Nope, not happening. And just so you know, you and your sister NEVER went through an ugly phase!

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  10. i wanted to be a singer as well. i also can't sing to save my life. haha. i really wanted to be a princess. i thought i could choose to be one, like you can choose to be a doctor or teacher. yup.

    i also thought i would be married and be done with kids by 28. i'm 30. zero kids. but i'm okay with it. and i also wanted 4 kids! i doubt that will happen because i don't want it to happen.

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  11. Man the 90s were way rougher for me than for you! I was like "combs and brushes? what are THOSE"

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