I Wanted to Be a Ninja

 

When I have the opportunity to present and talk with groups of people, I often ask what they wanted to be. 

 

Is this the dream job they thought they’d be doing when they were 7 or 8 years old? 

It is a fun question to ask, and the answer varies widely. 

 

Sometimes I hear that someone was going to be a doctor, a teacher, a veterinarian, a dancer, or a farmer. Perhaps it was to be a drummer, a mom, a nurse, a biologist or an astronaut.

 

Then the reasons are given, and they are all smiling as the dreams are remembered. 

 

At some point the group wants to hear what I wanted to be and then I grin with them.

I told them I wanted to be a ninja! And then I would say can I still be a ninja? 

 

Hopefully you are thinking about what you wanted to be when you were a young child as I go into a few things about my goal as a young one. 

 

Here is what I knew about ninjas then, as I can recall. 

 

They could come in and out of any situation and help people when needed. 

 

A ninja could jump over a wall, a fence or a sidewalk without making any noise. It was like they were invisible! 

 

People like ninjas, most of the time. Well, the people being helped liked ninjas. 

 

Do you see the flowers that I am wearing here? I could blend into any random field, and I thought it was important. 

My friends and I were running through fields all the time and blending in could be helpful. 

My ideas of wanting to be a ninja were on the spot for me.

Okay! Do you see that when I was this young that my ideas of wanting to be a ninja was on the spot for me? 

 

The fact that I have remembered this for many decades makes me grin. 

 

I now know that when I wanted to be a ninja then it may have been because of a few more reasons. 

Help others, stay safe, run fast. Be silent while having fun!

 

Others still talk about becoming a ninja now and what it can mean in this time. 

 

There is even a modern guide to How to Be a Ninja in Real Life.

Turns out my thinking from back then as a young child was not too far off. 

 

Being true to what you want is part of what stands out to me in this guide. 

 

Do I still want to help others? Having confidence and being aware of my surroundings are a few things to add now. 

 

Yes, those things sound good.

The day to day of wanting to be a ninja.

What else could be in the day to day of wanting to be a ninja? 

 

Here is one more point that sticks with me. 

 

Having the strength to do what comes next to me has been a part of my life since I was this young flowered one. 

 

It turns out that ninja can run fast because they pay attention to their physical stamina, mental well-being and abilities. 

 

Being able to work hard, train harder and then have a year of play is the forever goal for me. 

 

Isn’t it interesting that it seems to be these things that stay true in my life? 

Perhaps it shouldn’t surprise me at all as I have wanted to be a ninja for this long. 

Being physically able to play means I can also do what is needed all around me. 

 

That brings me to the last point for now.

 

What if I can still be a ninja in that I can flow in and out of situations, help others, stay physically strong alongside mental wellness and have loads of fun? 

 

This is the thing to consider for me. 

What do you want to become? Is there a way to begin again and again? 

 

Let’s have fun thinking about it today.