Question #7-Sherlock Holmes

 

 

Dear Consulting Bloggers,

*Sigh*. Where do I start? Well, we might as well get it over with: I'm afraid of growing up. Lame, lame, I know, I know. But it's true. Hearing all about the (Presidential) election coming up this November, and hearing my older sister talk about college . . . well, I'm scared. That I'll make a wrong decision or something and end up breaking. You might as well call me Peter Pan. I mean, I see a lot of adults who are/were successful, but then I see people like Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen and I'm scared I'll end up like them. (Not that I'm planning on doing drugs/going into the acting business.) Is there any advice that you can give me to overcome this fear? Oh, and did I mention I'm 12? -H.G.

 

 

H.G-

Stop it. You don't need to be scared. It's irrational. I have the feeling you won't be like Lindsey Lohan. And you can't be like Charlie Sheen-you're a girl.

Good day,

S.H

Question #7-John Watson

“Dear Consulting Bloggers,

*Sigh*. Where do I start? Well, we might as well get it over with: I'm afraid of growing up. Lame, lame, I know, I know. But it's true. Hearing all about the (Presidential) election coming up this November, and hearing my older sister talk about college . . . well, I'm scared. That I'll make a wrong decision or something and end up breaking. You might as well call me Peter Pan. I mean, I see a lot of adults who are/were successful, but then I see people like Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen and I'm scared I'll end up like them. (Not that I'm planning on doing drugs/going into the acting business.) Is there any advice that you can give me to overcome this fear? Oh, and did I mention I'm 12? -H.G.”　　

Dear H.G.

Well, “Peter,” this is not an unusual feeling to get. Typically, the younger you are the older you want to be, and the older you are the younger you want to be. Take nap time in preschool for example: who didn’t hate nap time? Why waste precious daytime when you could be finger-painting a masterpiece or running through puddles in the rain? But the older you get, the more you don’t have time for extra sleep, the more you want it. All I can say is, enjoy the time you have now. By worrying about tomorrow, you’ll find you wasted today away, just like you wasted nap time away. If you enjoy today, then tomorrow you can look back and smile. Or, if you’re going through a harder time, you can look back later and see that you made it through, even when it seemed like the dark times would never end.

As for the actors you mentioned (Lindsey and Charlie) do you want to know why they ended up like they did? They worried. They worried about what everyone else was thinking about them: this is peer pressure. (Middle school and high school are the worst times regarding peer pressure. I think anyone who has lived through those times will agree.) Don’t cave in. Choose your friends wisely.

Regarding success…as Albert Schweitzer once said: “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” In other words, don’t focus on being successful. So many people nowadays forget about what really matters and instead focus on working towards their goal (money, which is what is considered being successful nowadays). Watch this video Lost Generation Is this not amazing? What I want you to get from that video is this: do not focus on “succeeding” in the sense that money is good. Succeed in whatever makes you happy (remember the Albert Schweitzer quote?) there are many people who never wanted to grow up, and guess where they work now? They work with Pixar. They work at Walt Disney World. They are happy, and not because they make lots and lots of money (although I am sure they have a very nice paycheck) but they are happy because they are doing what they love and re-living their childhood. You do have to become an adult, but that doesn’t mean you have to grow up.

And er, one more thing: based on studies that have been done over the years, chances are that when the time comes for you to go off to college, you will be more than ready. When the time comes for you to leave home and get a job to buy a car, you will be more than ready. I have met many people who, like you, were afraid to grow up-they did not want to go to college or start moving out. However, by the time college neared, they could not wait to move on with their life and become an adult. This does not mean they do not still enjoy things from their childhood, it just means that when the time came, they were ready to become an adult. For you, you have close to 5 or 6 years before college will be knocking on your door. A lot can change in that time. Who knows, you may even be excited to start researching colleges, discover what major you wish to pursue, all of that.

Remember: you can mature but not grow up, and you can also (like our dear friend Sherlock) grow up but not mature.

Have a wonderful day, H.G.

--Dr. John Watson

Question #6-John Watson

“Dear Consulting Bloggers,

I'm almost at the time where I'm going to send college applications. But there's one problem: my parents don't exactly support what I want to be. For the past three years, I've really, really wanted to be an actress, that's the job I want to do. I love acting. But my parents want me to be something else, something that guarantees good payment, like a doctor or a lawyer. They disapprove of my dream to be an actress, even though I tell them it's what I love doing. Is there anything I can do to change their mind? Should I continue and live to be an actress, regardless of what my parents think? -M.T.”

　

　

Dear M.T-

While I do not want you to go against your parents’ wishes, and I can most certainly understand where they are coming from, I truly believe that this is your life. Eventually, you will be living on your own, as an adult, without your parents around, and you will be the one making all the decisions, without their help (well maybe once or twice, but you cannot consult them on every problem you have as an adult) and now is the time to learn good decision-making skills. However, you are also living in your parents’ home and must also listen to the people who care and provide for you.

You said your parents want you to explore another profession other than an actress, “something that guarantees good payment, like a doctor or a lawyer.” Might I point out that I myself am a doctor, and in my years of being a doctor, I have been shot during the war, and I am currently partnered with a Consulting Detective? (Do you know how much Sherlock gets paid? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He enjoys it, and he has so many connections from past mysteries he’s solved, he can afford to keep a home and food. Granted, he usually makes me buy the food, but that’s beyond the point.) All those years of Med school, and here I am, frantically looking for a job that I can work in between Sherlock’s mysteries. While he may have connections, I do not.

And er, last time I checked, actors and actresses got paid pretty decently. Are your parents worried that you won’t be able to succeed in the acting business? Is that why they are pushing for you to explore other options?

I say go for acting, and if that doesn’t work out, try something else. Not all actors are in films, you know. I love the theatre, myself, and there is certainly a much higher chance that you can appear on Broadway or Skakespeare, or something along those lines. (And, by doing this, the people who are searching for actors with talent will see you perform, and who knows, they might even offer you an opportunity to try out for a film? In fact, that movie that those young girls like…oh, what’s it called…it’s the new Disney Princess film…Rapunzel, is it? Anyway, the villain from that film was actually voiced by a Broadway actress. So you never know.)

Talk to your parents. Explain to them that maybe you’ll try acting and if that doesn’t work out, you’ll try your luck at being a lawyer or a doctor. College is your choice; however, parental support is also important.

Good luck!

--Dr. John Watson


 

Question #6-Sherlock Holmes

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Dear Consulting Bloggers,

I'm almost at the time where I'm going to send college applications. But there's one problem: my parents don't exactly support what I want to be. For the past three years, I've really, really wanted to be an actress, that's the job I want to do. I love acting. But my parents want me to be something else, something that guarantees good payment, like a doctor or a lawyer. They disapprove of my dream to be an actress, even though I tell them it's what I love doing. Is there anything I can do to change their mind? Should I continue and live to be an actress, regardless of what my parents think?

-M.T.

M.T.-

Go ahead and be an actress. They always say you can be anything you want to. I became the world's only consulting detective-just like I wanted. I suggest you get a job, though, because there's no way you'll jump right into acting. Get a job to help you get settled, become an actress, and do what you feel is right.

Good day,

-SH