This is probably going to come as a shock to many of you, but life doesn't always go the way you planned. Possibly not even the way you thought it would when you were younger. Many times a person too young to even know what it means,will be asked ‚ÄúWhat do you want to be when you grow up?" It doesn't matter what the young person responds, the older person will either laugh or make a comment not associated with the answer. Oh, yes, many times the older person makes a negative comment. ‚ÄúOh, no, you can't be an astronaut to Mars, what do you really want?"  
When I got old enough, I realized that most young people, and all small kids, do not even know what they want for supper, let alone the next 60 - 80 years. It puts pressure on the young one as for the next several decades they probably do not live up the expectations of Uncle Harry or Aunt Etheline. “You just keep trying," smirks the older, “and maybe you can find something useful." That is a sure confidence builder, an older relative who thinks you are silly for reaching beyond your grasp. After all, the question was not, “What do you think you will be," the questions was, “What do you want."
Then, later, real life takes over and the nine-year-old deep sea explorer is an accountant for Smerdley, Besinga and Fletch. Lawn mowing becomes a new passion and he/she may even take up golf. That way they can enjoy being part of a time wasting social activity and maintain sanity. Then children come along and the ambition starts all over, only it is now directed towards the next generation. In many cases there is a sense of regret or guilt. During these moody spells it is hard to comprehend that one has achieved a position that about 80% - 90% of the world's population has absotively NO chance of ever attaining.
We, here in the USA, are seldom a satisfied people. We strive for something different and say we are attempting to get something better. Then we try to get something else and so on and so on. There is nothing wrong with that until it become an obsession. Lazy people are castigated and excoriated by those more ambitious. Most believe that is the way of our society: lazy people are content to let ambitious people do the heavy lifting. One problem with that is that some “lazy person" has had some bad breaks that he/she did not cause and they cannot overcome the results. A truly ambitious person can look at that and feel lucky.
We are a restless people here in the US of A. Not only do we frequently change employment and professions, we change locations very often. In my one block cul-de-sac, every house but two have changed owners at least once in the short time we have been here. Judging from the number of moving vans one sees in this broader neighborhood, our block is very steady. And yes, I know that grandma and grandpa lived in this house ever since they were married a zillion years ago, but for the most part people move. When we Yanks aren't relocating, we are traveling. Most of us like to travel in packs called “tours."
One gets a different perspective of the world when one sees what the world is really like. If one goes to Europe and sees people sitting at a sidewalk cafe during the work day, a Yank will usually say, “If I did that I would get fired." Yes, you probably would as we live to work where much of the rest of the world works to live. Yessir, there is a big difference. Traveling can not only broaden knowledge, it can broaden attitudes. Someone may say, “Waitaminit! I put in 26 hours a day 12 days a week and I don't get sick leave or a two week vacation." Oh, in some companies if a person does take all their “vacation" time their job is in jeopardy.
Herself and I have been to all 50 states and many foreign countries. We were in East Berlin before the “wall fell," in Ukraine the year after the “wall fell" and I have been to Cuba and their version of dictatorship is still in play. Seeing the poverty of some countries and the wealth of others makes one aware that our country has no ownership on any way of life. The Irish and Australians have a relaxed attitude but still are among the most admired people in the world. Most of them actually “live" life. Maybe the question should be, “Would you like to be a bus driver in Coonabarabran when you grow up?"