🔍 Remember Who You Were Before the World Told You Who to Be

I just turned 45.

And if there’s one thing about hitting this milestone, it’s that it makes you reflect—hard. Not in a regretful way (okay, sometimes a little), but in a how did I get here, and where am I going next? kind of way.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about who I was before life told me who to be. And I keep coming back to something: my childhood make-believe games.

I wasn’t just a kid playing—I was all the things. One day, I was the Governor of Illinois, running my imaginary state with intense, five-year-old determination. The next, I was an astronaut, a priest, a teacher, a broadcast journalist. Sometimes I played these roles solo, fully lost in my own world. Other times, I roped in my family members, assigning them roles in my latest grand production.

And you know what’s wild? Even though my life looks different now, those early obsessions were more than just kid stuff. They were clues. A blueprint, hidden in plain sight.

Robert Greene calls this our “life’s task”—the unique path we were meant to follow, buried beneath the noise of expectations, responsibilities, and societal pressures. The problem is, as we grow up, we stop listening to those childhood instincts and start following a script that wasn’t necessarily written for us. But if we take the time to excavate those early passions—the things that made us us before the world interfered—we just might find the direction we’ve been looking for all along.

And if you’re in a similar season of reflection, maybe it’s time to start digging.

🤖 THE FUTURE BEAT:

Your Childhood Compass and Why Your Earliest Passions Still Matter

Think back to when you were a kid, fully absorbed in whatever fascinated you most. Maybe it was sketching superheroes in the margins of your homework, taking apart electronics just to see how they worked, or directing backyard theater productions with your cousins.

Those weren’t just hobbies. They were signals.

Robert Greene, in his work on mastery and purpose, calls this our life’s task—the unique path we are naturally inclined toward. It’s encoded in us early on, before the world interferes with ideas of what’s practical or acceptable.

The problem? Most of us lose that inner radar.

By the time we reach adulthood, we’ve been conditioned to prioritize external expectations over internal instincts. Schools grade us on standardized skills. Parents nudge us toward “safe” career choices. Society rewards certain paths while dismissing others as hobbies or “just dreams.” Over time, we stop asking What excites me? and start asking What’s the right next step?

And that’s how we get lost.

But here’s the good news: You can retrace your steps. You can uncover those early signals and start listening to them again—whether to redefine your career, rekindle a lost passion, or simply feel more you again.

Here’s how.

⚡ SKILL SNAP:

How to Excavate Your Childhood Clues

💡 Try This Reflection Exercise:

Take 10 minutes. No distractions. Just a notebook or your Notes app. Answer these three questions:

1️⃣ What did you love doing between ages 4-10? (Think back to recurring interests, imaginary play, things you could do for hours.)
2️⃣ What patterns do you see? (Were you always storytelling? Building? Organizing? Performing? Problem-solving?)
3️⃣ How does that connect to what excites you today—or what’s missing?

🔹 Takeaway: Your childhood passions weren’t random. They were pointing you toward your natural strengths. What’s one small way you can reconnect with them this week?

⚡ TREND TICKER:

The Science Behind Childhood Interests & Future Success

📊 Research Shows:

• Studies on creativity and career success reveal that many innovators, artists, and entrepreneurs trace their life’s work back to early childhood fascinations.

• A Harvard study on passion found that people who integrate childhood interests into their work report higher job satisfaction and overall well-being.

• Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory suggests that our brains are naturally wired toward specific strengths—whether linguistic, spatial, kinesthetic, or interpersonal.

🔹 What This Means for You: If you feel disconnected from your work or daily life, your younger self might have some answers.

And if this research tells us anything, it’s that the key to fulfillment starts early. Which raises the question—how do we make sure our kids don’t lose their own inner compass?

🚀 PARENT PLAYBOOK:

Help Your Kids Hold Onto Their Inner Compass

🔎 Want to make sure your kids don’t lose touch with their childhood instincts? Try this simple dinner table activity:

Ask:
✨ “If you could do anything all day, what would it be?”
✨ “What’s something you love learning about just for fun?”
✨ “If you could teach a class on anything, what would it be?”

Encourage open-ended answers—no right or wrong. Then, look for patterns. These little insights might just be shaping their future.

🔹 Bonus Challenge for You: Answer the same questions for yourself. You might be surprised at what comes up.

🎁 FREE DOWNLOAD:

The Future-Ready Passion Finder

Want a simple, fun way to uncover your childhood passions—and help your kids discover theirs? Grab this free workbook to unlock the clues that have been there all along.

👉 [Download Now]