What do you want to be when you grow up?

I remember thinking I wanted to be an actress, or a fitness instructor just like Jane Fonda. Then I wanted to be an advertising executive, just like Helen Hunt in What a Woman Wants.  I wanted to do something BIG with my life. I wanted to be someone. 

What I’ve learned about growing up is this: how we live today, is how we define who we become. If we live our lives always trying to get to that place, trying to be that thing - well, we might just miss the point. 

That is not to say we shouldn't have goals and dreams. These are great! It is to also remember that the little moments add up. Turns out, they're what matter most in my life: the inside joke between co-workers, the impromptu bike ride with my five year old to school, the smell of the four little dandelions Jack picked for me on our afternoon walk, the early wakeup to see the sunrise over Seattle, dinner and great conversation with family and friends, and the list goes on. These little moments are what define who I become (which, by the way, is always evolving). They define my life.

Perhaps we should reframe the question we ask ourselves and our kids.

How do you want to be as you grow up?