#1 — The Start
[1st Episode] A set of reflections to answer the question on ‘who are you without your job title?’
It has been only three years I embarked on the journey after college and building what people call as ‘career’. Last year I came across a big question on ‘who are you without your job title?’ and that question remained at the back of my mind eversince — without trying to intentionally figure it out.
As most of us who work full-time, we spend at least 8 hours each day for career— excluding the uncounted hours our mind unconsciously thinking about work — making it, somehow, becomes our identity.
Quoting psychologist Dr. Janna Koretz’s article, consider the following questions to see how far career becomes your identity:
- How much do you think about your job outside of the office? Is your mind frequently consumed with work-related thoughts? Is it difficult to participate in conversations with others that are not about your work?
- How do you describe yourself? How much of this description is tied up in your job, title, or company? Are there any other ways you would describe yourself? How quickly do you tell people you’ve just met about your job?
- Where do you spend most of your time? Has anyone ever complained to you that you are in the office too much?
- Do you have hobbies outside of work that do not directly involve your work-related skills and abilities? Are you able to consistently spend your time exercising other parts of your brain?
- How would you feel if you could no longer continue in your profession? How distressing would this be to you?
My biggest worry when I tie myself too much with work and career is that, I will be unable to value things, people in my surroundings, and my loved ones fairly when they are not aligned with my ideal career perspective — whereas life should not be transactional.
Below is a beautiful message from Gam Ri Grandma:
This is the beginning of my journey to answer the question on ‘who are you without your job title?’.
Are you on the same marathon track as mine?
