admin posted on August 17, 2010 16:22
Who Are You?
If you ever ask someone who they are, they'll usually rattle off their job and where they live. "Who are you?" is a deeper question though, isn't it? We are not our stuff or our work role.
Most of us never think about who we truly are. We are too busy getting to the next day and the next to stop and think about what this journey is all about.
Your career is separate from your identity.
What happens is that we spend more time in our work life than we do in our "other" life ... our recreational or family life. And work is, for the most part, stimulating and challenging, even stressful. We have goals and targets we have to hit. So it is understandable that it consumes our brain space.
On top of all that, you want to ensure that your position is secure in the present, competitive job market.
Career is certainly an important part of life. However, career and life are two completely separate entities.
Can you confidently say that you are the same person that you were several years before you accepted this position with your current employer?
Do you know WHO you are .. apart from what it says on your business card? You see many people, especially professionals, who become too involved in upholding their corporate images while they're off the clock.
I once made a documentary about retirement. Astoundingly most people - men especially - die within 2 years of retirement. As we delved into the why's, it became clear that all they had in their life was their work. Once they were retired, they didn't know who they were or where they fit in to the big picture. Their lives were ego driven ... I don't mean ego in a pretentious, arrogant sense ... I mean ego as being so separated from a spiritiual sense of themselves.
You are paid for a predetermined amount of time each week. Your employer deserves to get exactly what he pays for. When you are on the clock, give your employer 100% effort. Once that time is up, discover activities that make you happy and express the real you.
I recently met a real estate agent socially. On the job, he was focused and wore a tie and was exceedingly accommodating to his clients. He loved his job. But away from work, when I met him, he was a bit of a wild man. He'd boot his Harley and be at the full mosh pit experience of rock concerts. In short, he was his own man.
Some people think that "being" their job gives them status. The truth is that only people who want to use you will give you "job status". Others will look at your accomplishments and your personality to assign a status to you. Think about it ... isn't that what you'll be doing on Saturday at the Federal Election (unless you are blocked into one way of thinking always)?
You are a spouse, a parent, someone's child, a friend, and the life of the party. You are an individual that is defined by far more than a paycheck or a sign-in ID.
Take stock today ... after hours, focus on creating diverse non-work related aspects of your life, spend quality family time, explore hobbies and interests. As you come to understand your journey and purpose you'll enjoy the full quality of life.
Self-Reflection Questions:
1. Do you flaunt your career in order to make others respect you?
2. When you introduce yourself, is work the first thing you talk about?
3. What is your purpose in this game called life?
New Thought Centre
Dr Barry Pierce
http://www.newthought.com.au/life.html