12. TRUE SELF

The occupations I ran by ChatGPT for the ultimate career were all creative. With my art degree and publishing background, most people would have assumed that being a visual artist or writer would fit the bill. What might surprise you are the occupations involving the performing arts: dance, theater, music. These were activities that had taken a backseat for so many years that I’d forgotten about all the hours I’d dedicated to them as a kid. Having the chance to dance again reminded me how much I missed choreography. Seeing that it ranked higher than dance was what prompted me to take my experiment seriously—I knew from experience that this was true, my fifth-grade self representing that peak. The interesting thing is that I wouldn’t have agreed with the ultimate career four years ago. I would have been curious, but unsure. What makes me certain now are the hidden talents that emerged when I carved out the time to fulfill the highest, truest expression of myself.