As children, we are asked “what do you want to be when you grow up? This is the million dollar question, or so we are taught to believe. For me, I grew up thinking that I knew what I wanted to be. For along time, I knew I wanted to be a lawyer. However, as I got older, things changed; but I later came back to this “dream.” I did not end up as a lawyer.

For me, I grew up hearing about how awesome it would be to be a teacher. How exciting it would be to have been an FBI agent, or even a police officer. I heard how my mother was kept away from “her dreams.” I heard how my mother had all these big dreams but that she was prevented from exploring them. So of course, I also had big dreams. I became the first woman on both sides of my family to graduate from college, I also became the first woman on both sides to serve in the armed forces. Despite all this, I was still hearing in the back of my mind, that this was not good enough. I didn’t believe that this was good enough because I did not have a title of doctor, lawyer or other type of professional, intriguing job titles. Somehow, I felt that I had let everyone down, that I had not reached my peak. I kept looking around for the person who was holding me back, keeping me from achieving my goals,

But what I have come to realize is that where we end up is rarely where we thought we be. Things happen in our lives that lead us right to where we are meant to be. We all have dreams and ambition, but our dreams and ambitions should never become a detriment. We need to look in the present and be happy where we are, despite where we thought we would be.

A person’s worth, my worth, is not defined by a title. I will no longer hold myself back by a perceived lack of title.