My job title is not who I am. It’s not a short description of what I am as a person. This is not rocket science, it should not be a revelation, but still - until recently I had forgotten this simple truth.
I would love to be able to say that it was an epiphany of my own that made me remember this, and think about what I am beyond the job title in my email signature. It wasn’t, and that’s not so great. But … the fun part of this is that it was a great conversation with a good friend that made it happen.
My friend Ryan and I were chatting with a stranger who sat next to us at an outdoor table at a coffee shop. Ryan brought up the idea that when a typical European is asked what they do, they don’t answer that they are a CPA or marketing professional or mechanic. Instead they talk about the things they love to do, the things they are passionate about. This may not be true in every country in Europe, and may be true outside of Europe as well; it’s a generalization, but it’s an inspiring one - or at least it was for me in that moment.
It was inspiring for me because Ryan embodies that approach to life perfectly. He reeled off his “What do you do?” answer as “I’m a mountain biker, a gamer, and I love to cook”. That was very powerful to me in the moment that he said it, and afterwards - because it made me realize I would struggle to remember what I’m really passionate about, and what are the things I do that bring me joy. This got fleshed out even further when Ryan and I had a great phone conversation later on the same day - and he quizzed me on my answers and helped me remember my real answers.
I’m passionate about learning more about and embracing Buddhism, living with kindness and compassion and being a better human being; mentoring, always learning, tennis (as a player) and football (the kind played with the feet) as a fan, and dogs.
I should mention that Ryan is much younger than I am. In theory, I should be older and wiser, throwing great wisdom in his direction on a regular basis, not stealing his on a Tuesday afternoon after a coffee shop chat. In this case though, I’m happy to ignore the theory and embrace my gratitude for that chat and that wisdom.