“I don’t know. I’m making this up as I go.” — Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark
Dear School of Thought Readers,
When I was little, I wanted to be everything.
My fifth grade yearbook lists my future goals as potentially a pediatrician (because I liked helping), a ballet dancer (because the outfits!), or, somehow, a movie star (despite not being alive in the 1950s, I used that exact phrase).
I used to put on shows our sunken living room, using the top of the stairs as the stage. My mom was the only person who regularly attended. And my brother, unfortunately, had to play the smaller roles of characters like ‘the sheep’ or the background dancer.
My dreams of stardom aside, the list of things I wanted to do changed A LOT.
I created a business I called the Door to Door Store, and went around my neighborhood selling handmade greeting cards, stationery and ribbon barettes. I created a flyer that I called the Door to Door Store NewspapOUR (because it rhymed) to go along with it. It helped that my name (Shore) also rhymed. I had business plans and bubble letters. ⬇️
That curious shape-shifting energy has stuck with me, even though outside influences were nudging me to choose a lane.
I’ve never followed a straight path and I’ve never really wanted to.
Along the way, I’ve studied a constellation of subjects, collected a few degrees, and shapeshifted through roles and careers. I find myself as fascinated by the ancient myths I read to my kids and modern neuroscience I read professionally, and the magic that happens when someone’s eyes light up in a moment of shared learning.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled to answer the question, “So, what do you do?” – especially in this last decade.
This ambiguity used to make me uneasy. I admired people with crisp job titles that fit cleanly on a name tag. But I keep meeting people, especially young people, whose curiosity sprawls like mine. They ask out loud about what it means about who they are, or who they are allowed to become.
I’ve started to wonder:
What if the goal isn’t to find one perfect role, but to follow our questions? What if being “undecided” is actually a strength, especially in learning?
The Big Idea
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Author: Dr. Jane R. Shore
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