Part of My Journey from Space

Find Your Flourish: Mastering Midlife. This is a true view into the daily routine of a 40-something year old woman.

How do you get beyond yourself today, leave fear behind, and live out your childhood dreams?

In the 4th grade, I wrote about the requirements and expectations that were necessary to become an astronaut. That is the career path I wanted to take. What had to happen so I could become an astronaut? Could I do it?

I was 9 years old. Can you remember what you wanted to be when you were 9 years old? Did you grow up to become that?

I never went to space camp. I never saw a spaceship take off in person at Cape Canaveral. I never suited up and went into space. My life took another path. A path I enjoy and a path I live fully in. A path that brings me joy. But a different path.

Did I expect to be an astronaut? When I was in 4th grade, the answer to that question was yes! But that was the same year it stopped. In 4th grade, math hit me in the face and I realized that math was not my strongest subject. I wanted to learn what I could, but I also wanted to get out of 4th grade math as fast as I could. Spending a lot of time with math was not what I wanted to focus on in the 4th grade.

Do astronauts have to excel at math? In 4th grade, I thought so. I didn’t even discuss this with anyone. Not my parents. Not my teachers. Not my friends. I just let the expectation die. I believed that astronauts had to have a strong math foundation and I did not want to build one, at all.

This is where we miss it

all

the 

time.

Successful people seek out others to assist them in getting to the next level. They ask questions of others who are where they want to be. They don’t let lack of experience or even lack of understanding stop them. They make a way. They create a way. They find a way.

Independence is good but if you need help; you should ask. That is how you can get to the next level. We can’t be so independent that we can’t ask someone who is in the position of where we want to be how they got there. This sounds easier that it is to do in real life.

Asking for help and asking questions makes you vulnerable. There is something you are unsure of. It is not a comfortable place. But it is a necessary place.

I already had a defeated attitude in the 4th grade when I thought about becoming an astronaut. I didn’t think I could be successful in math so I did not even pursue ways to conquer this area. I did not ask for help. At that point in my life, I did not attempt to find a way around it. I just let it go away.

But when someone asks, “What did you want to be when you were little?”

I always say astronaut!

Return to those young, fresh childhood desires! Those desires will always speak to your heart. That is yourself before you let reality and restrictions hold you back from accomplishments.

Do I need to now become an astronaut? No, now I can’t imagine being away from my family to go into space. But what are some characteristics about being an astronaut that speak to me? 

Here are a few things:

I enjoy science.

I enjoy traveling.

I enjoy precision tasks.

So I don’t have to be an astronaut to relate directly to these things I like. In my life, I can reach into those childhood desires with other activities. These childhood desires become what we can develop in and become experts at because we have a passion in these areas.

1. The profession I went into does require a strong science background. I went to medical school. I became a pediatric physical therapist. Now I have to keep learning in this area to assure I am providing my patients with quality care. This allows me to tap into that childhood desire of finding enjoyment in science.
2. I make plans to travel throughout the year with my family and friends to fun, new places or old places with new experiences. This allows me to tap into that childhood desire of enjoying travel.
3. The precision task part of my personality goes into all the areas of my life. This is a core personality trait that allows me to create schedules, make plans, utilize check lists, work diligently towards a goal. 

When you go back to those childhood dreams, you can connect to that pure self. That self that believes everything is possible. That nothing that gets in your way can stop you. You can get to the top of the hill. You can reach that goal.

What are some childhood dreams you left behind? How can you revive these desires and bring them into your present?

Capitalize on these desires and allow them propel you to your next goal. Don’t be frozen by fear. You have to start by giving those dreams life without hesitation.

Be you, be focused, be well!

Find Your Flourish!

Shanna