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So here's the question:

When you were younger I assume you had expectations of what you would become later in life... What were your expectations and did you live up to them?


My expectations were: Some kind of decent job, never join the military, somehow become handsome with a nice physique, fall in love and have a deep romance and own a Trans Am to be turned into the knight rider car and a decent sized home. I also expected myself to always be a kind hearted, humbled, shy, always honest, never deceptive, masculine person with lots of the same friends that i grew up with.

This is what came true: decent job achieved, Trans Am in my possession, masculine personality, 98% of the time I am honest, humble, kind hearted, and rarely deceptive.

Although, I would say that my childhood self would not like the person that I've become to be quite honest.

Would your childhood self like what you've become over the years??

Awww, isn't that sweet he got a case of beer for his birthday! LOL


My younger self was and is as confused as my older self. Sometimes I doubt I have grown at all, emotionally I mean. Think, stuck in a rut.

One of your goals in life is to achive a "masculine personality"?

I was going to start a thread like this -but I do not like my younger self. I actually torn most of my pictures and threw them away- along with all those memories. I found some recently and.... yikes.
I have/had no ambitions.
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Gym-time. Have fun guys.

kietkat saidOne of your goals in life is to achive a "masculine personality"?

Not to achieve, but I expected to be that type of person. You're reading too into it.

When I was younger I had no idea where I was going to be, I wasn't sure I was going to make it through high school much less into adulthood.

I had a very... "grumpy" childhood experience and didn't realize how kind and fun adults could be. I think I would be disappointed because I don't own a mansion in the mountains, with a huge glass towered atrium/greenhouse, directly adjacent to the tower with a swimming pool that looked over my stables.
I don't still live with my mom so THAT would be a HUGE surprise to my younger self.

I would be happy that I'm not a "grumpy" product of a grumpy early life. Actually, I'd actually really love who I've become and would be very proud of me... even without the mansion.

If I could I would go back and take care of my younger self the way I should have been. I'd comfort, protect and nurture all the wonderful qualities I've found as an adult.

Ok so for me when I was younger biggest future job was to loose weight. I was fat, the fat kid of the school. So had some really bad days. Am 25 now and 5'11" with 160lb, and 7% body fat, so a pretty decent job. But still feels like something is lacking, just had so many things I wanted to do, like playing violen, a good dancer etc, which I never did. So still trying to be there by the time am 30.

Bravo guys....glad to hear such positive responses

Mercury, at least most of the things you wanted you acheived...I am waiting for a new home so I can go on to the next hope that I want...

When I was in high school I dreamed of growing up to be successful, attractive, popular with lots of friends and heaps of confidence, and have a gorgeous wife.

These days I'm successful enough, insofar as I'm happy and not wanting for stuff. I've outgrown my goofy adolescence, so I think skinny, bespectacled fifteen-year-old-me would approve. The intense social phobias and anxiety have disappeared, and I make friends easily and have some great people in my life.

I don't have the gorgeous wife (well, not anymore), but the hottie boyfriend more than makes up for that.

When I was a schoolboy in 1966, I attended a local swimming pool staffed with a lifeguard. On the back of his top were displayed the red letters three inches high:

LIFEGUARD

When a youngster got into trouble in the deep end, I watched as this hot icon crawled to the edge of the pool, arm outstretched. Still unable to reach him, he leaped belly down into the pool and towed the lad to safety. Much to my own embarrassment, my phallus stood on end, and I stayed at home, away from the pool for a while.
After that he left, assumed gone back to, or started University. Two other lifeguards, including a female, replaced him.
Never forgetting that day, I joined a Lifesaving Club six years later in 1972. There under the supervision of a retired Army officer, I submitted to his barking orders of the weekly "pressure swim" which was the climax of an excellent session combining water rescues and dry resuscitation classes which included learning the ins and outs of the human anatomy.
I gained the Bronze Medallion award in December of that year, just before Christmas. This opened the door to working as a full time Lifeguard at any poolside, and that is precisely what I did for a few months in 1973.
Today, when I sometimes chat with a Lifeguard, which I often do at the pool/sauna suite, I found that my method of lifesaving is antiquated and obsolete. Today's lifeguards are just a small step from being Paramedics.

NOPE! And Ive given up trying to be anything like I thought I would be when I was a kid. Screw it. The more I think about it the more depressed I get. Fuck that...

When I was young, I expected to become a concert pianist.

I discovered my talent was too small for that.

C'est la fucking vie.

When I was baby, mom and dad were building a house, they put me in a safe place where I couldn't roll off something and get hurt, which was the bathroom tub. So from just a few months old I was listening to Hammers, the sounds of sawing, the smells of wood, sawdust, cement, plaster, paint, varnish and glue. From that for some reason as early as I can remember, I was always building forts with my brothers in tow and the neighborkids too. I would go to bed planning some fort and be unable to sleep for my vision of what I was going to do with the fort. the next day the fort went up the way my plans were the night before. when I started thinking of what I wanted in my future, it was all wrapped around building a big nice home. Well I did that several times over and have enjoyed it. Part of my childhood dream was to fill the house with some kids, which I did too. I did realize early in life that I liked the boys but back in the 50's and early 60's that wasn't supposed to be so I left that out until later in Life. The child I was would be happy about the home and kids, but would really be confused about the guys in my life.

When I was a kid I wanted to be a doctor and help people. Then I grew up a bit and realized I wasn't much into the blood and guts but I wanted to be a professional (lawyer, manager) with lots of responsibility. I wanted to have an apartment in a big city, I wanted a car, and I wanted a wife...

I have the job, I have the apartment (but not the big city ), I now don't want a car, and I'm gay. LOL, oh well doesn't change how happy I am about my life.

I did not live up to my expectations... yet. But I'm still working on the things I want to accomplish. But I'm not entirely disappointed because I was naive to believe how quickly, if ever, I could achieve my goals. I made mistakes, and have myself to blame, but I'm going to try hard not to replicate them.

If you want to know what my life is like thus far, watch The Graduate.

And is that a new phoenix drawing behind you?

In elementary school I loved trains so my dream was to be a railroad engineer. By high school I had outgrown trains but had had no other ideas. In college I knew I wanted to be a cultivated hedonist. At that point my talents seemed to point in the direction of academia or some similar poetic but impoverished career path. I ruthlessly suppressed these inclinations and instead went to law school. I fondly imagined a genteel existence in probate law where I would take little old ladies out to lunch to discuss drafting new wills in which they would disinherit everybody.
I found that I hated probate and evolved into a criminal trial lawyer with a real zest for my work. Nothing could be further from what my younger self imagined. The bf and the daily gym attendance were another surprise my younger self would never have expected.

well at:

5 - wanted to be an astronaut

10 - i wanted to be an awesome martial artist like Goku from Dragon Ball

15 - i wanted to be a pilot

now at 21 - i want to party all the time

Everyone always thought I'd a guitarist in some band. I actually thought that would be pretty awesome. It did become a dream of mine for a while ever since I was a kid, seeing some of my favorite bands perform.

I fell more in love with drawing and martial arts though. Then I went into the military and experienced and saw things I never thought I would when I was a kid. Because of all that I guess, I feel much different now than I would have ever imagined.

When I was a kid I had bad insomnia and would always see those late night infomercials with kids that had cleft palates.

Up until high school I wanted to be a plastic surgeon, then I changed my mind and opened up to general surgery, which I think has a bit more variety than plastics.

So from high school to present, I still want to be that surgeon... Entered the university of my choice, joined a small group of pre-med students, made about 26 friends from that. Then a year went by and only 2 (with me included) out of 26 people are still pre-med.

I didn't expect to live past 30, so the last 22+ years have continuously reminded me that I was inaccurate in that prediction.

WOW....these stories are really interesting. You guys should definitely read each others'. It really shows a human side of each other.


I think its funny one of you said that you didnt expect to live past 30. I actually have sort of the same feeling, but my belief is that i wont live past 28. I'm not concerned with it though. If it happens, then so be it, if not, I hope I have all my priorities straight.


I really like hearing about you guys....you all had some very interesting passions.

I have no idea what I expected, but I thought I would grow up to be a doctor. HA! Here's me at age 4 and 8

CuriousJockAZ saidI have no idea what I expected, but I thought I would grow up to be a doctor. HA! Here's me at age 4 and 8

wow, you were so blond as a kid, it's interesting how hair colour changes!

They start when you're in grade school, asking you what you want to be when you grow up.
I didn't know then, and I don't know, now.
I had no goals other than to get through it.
I'm the same way, today.
I wish I had somebody to push me, to guide me, to motivate me. when I was a kid.
I think that it would have made a big difference.
I still do what I have to do (to get through it).

When I was young I wanted to be an author. I loved books and still do. Over time that has evolved - I decided I wanted to be a screenwriter because I love movies. My "now" self does write, but academic stuff like journal articles and book chapters.

When I was young I wanted a family. My "now" self can't see any future with kids in it.

I don't have too many expectations in life, and I've found that life is continually evolving and I like that. There isn't much I would change, looking back; you're the result of your journey.

Webster666 saidThey start when you're in grade school, asking you what you want to be when you grow up.
I didn't know then, and I don't know, now.
I had no goals other than to get through it.
I'm the same way, today.
I wish I had somebody to push me, to guide me, to motivate me. when I was a kid.
I think that it would have made a big difference.
I still do what I have to do (to get through it).

I understand this all too well, so you're not the only one. At least you were able to motivate yourself to get into the kind of physical shape you wanted right?

The way I look at it is....think about a hobby you most enjoy, then try to see what career fields incorporate that hobby and has a "fun" environment to you...

beaujangle said

CuriousJockAZ saidI have no idea what I expected, but I thought I would grow up to be a doctor. HA! Here's me at age 4 and 8

wow, you were so blond as a kid, it's interesting how hair colour changes!

Well, that was nearly half a century ago LOL. I'm just glad I still have any hair at all :-)

all the years i trained as a pianist ( which started at 4 or 5 , i forgot ) were marked with self doubt, self criticism , lack of confidence and a deep driving force to be a musician which pushed me through life like i had no say in the matter.
Many young pianists dream of performing everywhere in the world. I can't remember ever wishing that.

so, decades later, i'm exactly the same .

so i guess i succeeded . I still think i play like shit, it's never good enough, i die a thousand deaths at every performance ( which isn't that often ) and the drive to be a musician is just as alive and i still have no say in the matter. My path has been messy many times, i missed so many opportunities it's pathetic, but it didn't bother me.
I never thought i'd teach , but it has enriched my life amazingly.

as a youth, i dreamed of sex with older guys ( the marlboro type ).. not love.