My Dream Job

Believe it or not, school has started here in Gilbert. Because of Covid-19, we are currently going to school online. Using Microsoft teams, zoom, and canvas, we are doing our best to get used to the new normal. Eww I know.

One of my classes this year is AP Literature and Composition. On Friday, the teacher assigned us a “Diagnostic Writing” assignment to see where we are. There were several prompts to choose from, but the one that stood out to me was, “what is your dream job?”

I decided it would be fun to post it on my blog as well as turning it in for class.

Here it is:

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Never would I have thought I would write an essay on what I want to be when I’m older.

It’s not that I didn’t expect essays, it is simply the fact that I wouldn’t have thought that talking about future plans and careers would be all that interesting. The typical response I feel is, “I want to be a fireman,” or “I want to be a nurse” or even, “I want to be a teacher.” Well, my dream job isn’t in any of those departments, although they are all in the public servant category. I don’t even want to be an engineer or NASA worker which I feel are also admirable jobs. No, my dream job is to make a difference and be a motivational speaker.

Growing up, I always wanted to be a nurse like my mom, grandma, and aunt. I also liked reading and writing, so I wanted to be an author too. I thought I would do both: I’d be an author by day and nurse by night! Ka-pow! (That sounded cooler in my head…hehe) Unsurprisingly, plans change. I realized last year that I actually did not want to be a nurse at all; it was simply what was familiar and safe. There will always be a need for nurses, so I knew that I would be financially stable with that job. I’m not scared of blood, and I like helping people, so the thought of being a nurse wasn’t all that bad, but I realized I’d never be truly happy. Confucius once said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” I believe it to be true (for the most part). As years went by, I forgot I wanted to be an author. After breaking my arm last year, I decided to start a blog, and it reminded me of my life-long dream to be an author.

Writing blog posts is what makes me feel happy and satisfied, and each post is like a motivational speech! Not only are they like motivational talks, but they are mini-me versions of an entire book! Although I didn’t expect I’d write motivational books, it might be exactly what I was meant to do…and who knows?! Maybe I will end up writing some fantasy and fiction too. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

The best thing about remembering that I want to be an author is that it fits perfectly with my new dream job: motivational speaking. I hope I can also keep my blog because it will continue to help me grow and improve.

I think anyone’s dream job is something that will make them happy. Writing makes me happy. More importantly, helping other people makes me happy. I’ve had severe depression and anxiety for over half my life. It has left me crippled with pain at times, and it makes life really hard most times. In 2017, I started an Instagram account dedicated to helping others, posting inspirational quotes, and sharing my story. I have really enjoyed doing it. When people message me and tell me that I have helped them, it makes everything a little bit more worth it: the pain, the stress, the depression, the confusion, the loneliness… Helping others makes me happy. It lifts the weight for a small moment, and that is a miracle in every sense of the word. Then, when I broke my arm last year, (double compound fracture–both bones came through the skin) it gave me a whole other story to share. My thought process is, if I don’t share my story and help others, then what was it all for? Was it for nothing? I want the pain to mean something. I want to use it to do good. So as I have listened to speakers throughout the years, my dreams have only grown. When the audience begins crying or smiling or blinking with tears, I know that the speaker has power. They have the power to change lives. They have the power to save lives. They have the power to make a difference.

I have a plan to get there. I want to continue with my blog, get a bachelor’s degree in psychology and then a masters in professional counseling, become a trauma and abuse counselor, grow my knowledge of life and expand my experiences, write a book, and finally, become a motivational speaker. It will be a long road, and I know that. I also know that it will make me happy. It will leave me satisfied. It will allow me to grow in ways that others may not have the opportunity to. It will make the pain worth it. It will give me the opportunity to make a difference and change lives. It will give me the power to save lives. For those reasons, and many more, I know that motivational speaking is for me. It is my dream job.