Hi, I’m Dawn. I’m a writer and an entrepreneur. What do you do?
Every time we meet someone new, one of the first things we do is categorize who we think they are by what they do for a living. We form judgments based on the ideas we have in our minds about what different professions look like.
If I tell you I am a writer, you have your impressions of what that means to you. It probably has nothing to do with me at all, but it gives you a starting place to try to understand who I am.
If I said I was a gambler and I make money betting sports, your conclusions about me would be different. I am still the same person, but the veil you see me through has changed.
What we do shouldn’t define who we are, but in this society it does. We deem others as more or less worthy by the occupation they perform.
Of course, we never truly know who someone is because it is impossible to see anything without the filter of our own experiences. But for convenience and a way to operate in the world, it is what we do.
If you are proud of what you do, you can’t wait to tell people about it. It can be a real ego boost to tell everyone that you are a lawyer or a doctor or a model or an actor. These are all professions that we tend to look up to, and the people in them get used to being treated in a certain way.
If a woman says she is a stay-at-home mother, we form an idea of who she is. If a man says that he is a stay-at-home father, we may form a different idea about him.
Our preconceived notions and need to classify people and things can negate the ability to truly see the reality.
But it is what it is. It honestly doesn’t matter what you do, it is the joy you derive from the doing that is the key to happiness. A life spent doing what you are passionate about is much more rewarding than one spent in a career you have for appearance sake only.
When someone asks you what you do, what is your answer?
Are you proud to tell others? Are you content, satisfied, complete and fulfilled? If not, then what would you like the answer to be?
Asking myself this question completely changed my life.
I got real and looked at where I was. It wasn’t a bad place, but it wasn’t my passion anymore. I had a great job, I was making a decent living, and was respected in my field.
But I was bored. I didn’t feel that there was anything else I could accomplish where I was, and the feeling of “been there done that” was creeping in. I needed a change.
I knew that there was something more that I wanted, and it had nothing to do with money or status. I wanted to be passionate about my life again. But what did that look like for me?
I started by thinking about what I liked doing when I was young.
I love writing. I’ve always written lots of stuff, things that no one (I hope!) will ever read, and some stuff that I would be proud to share. I write when I’m happy, when I’m sad, and everything in between. This is a tool that I can use to fulfill myself completely and maybe help another person or two along the way.
So I did what others might only dream of doing – I quit my job and went all in. Now every day I spend time doing the things that make me happy, and I am making a living doing it.
And when I retire, I will continue to write because I enjoy doing it. I am not attached to the results. I don’t have to be famous, rich, or popular because of what I do.
I do insist that I am happy though. Maybe some day I will return to what I used to do. Anything is possible.
It’s your turn. We just met at a party. I tell you I am a writer and an entrepreneur. I then ask, “What do you do?
Say it out loud. How does it feel? Does it make you excited, proud, and happy as you declare what you bring to the world? It should – or else you are not only short-changing yourself, but you are depriving the world of the gifts and skills that only you bring to the table.
Each of us is blessed with something that makes us different, something that we do that fits who we are like a glove. Your goal in life shouldn’t be to try to be like anyone else. Because, like it or not, you can’t. You are meant to be you.
So back to the original question. What do you do? Who are you? Fill in the blank with whatever you want. Are you a singer, an actor, an astronaut, a banker, an entrepreneur, a mother, a dentist – what is it that you want to be?
Your goal is to find what you are here to do, the thing that comes to you naturally and that makes your heart sing. And guess what? Only you know what that is!