“What you do is NOT who you are…but who you ARE has a tremendous impact on what you do.”
These are the words from a mentor of mine. They expose a truth that our 7am-to-7pm working culture has lost touch with.
There is a great disconnect in our cultural understanding about “work”. We have wrongly categorized it as only that from which one is compensated with money.
But, the truth is that work is any and every activity upon which we spend our time, effort, thoughts, physicality, and intentions, etc – not just what you are compensated for doing.
Yes, generating income from your company is “work,” but so is waking up and fixing breakfast. Exercising, responding to emails, returning mother’s phone call, picking kids up from practice, commuting: All Work. Relationships are work. Family is work. Self-development is work. Humans constantly work, plain and simple.
Regardless of what you do for “work”, remember, you’re in the Business of You.
I recently had this very conversation with a friend, Tyler Ward, amidst the coffeehouse haze of an East Nashville bistro. Tyler is one who intentionally thinks, writes, and practices recognizing the difference between ‘what you do and who you are.’ His thoughts concerning a Pace of Life vs. a Way of Life articulate the subtle but profound nuance of this mind-shift:
Here’s Ty – (check out his recent post and his other profound insights here)
Becoming less busy isn’t about slowing down or working less, nor is it some self-indulgent ambition.
Becoming less busy is simply about not being a slave to a career and free to do other work as well – such as family, friendship, self-development.
Becoming less busy is about defining success on your own terms and designing a lifestyle that you believe in deeply – no matter what that lifestyle is or how fast or slow it may be.
Admittedly, it is difficult to develop the Business of You without resources. And for most of us, those resources are generated by being compensated for work that we perform. Yet, there is a life-giving fullness in focusing our lives upon building “you”, not a career. Careers change, but you have a good chance at a 70-90 year run through this world.
Career Vs. Calling
Our understanding of “careers” has swallowed up the now-obscure realization of “vocation”. Vocation comes from the same root as the word vocal – a calling. Each of us entered this life uniquely equipped with desires and talents, tendencies and abilities. When properly aligned inside a person’s life, there is a much bigger trajectory in the world than a menial lifetime of 7am-t0-7pm.
Rightly oriented, you are not a slave to your career. Your career is there to serve you…in the Business of You. It is providing you the necessary resources so that you can hone in on your vocation; those reasons you were called into existence.
So, what is your vocation? What are the areas of your life where who you are, what you do, and what you input into relationships would be most difficult to replace in your absence?
Begin to focus your attention toward these You-nique qualities and two things will happen:
1. You will see your present career as a much smaller, momentary component of the completeness of you.
2. You’ll find truth in the statement, what you do is NOT who you are, but who you ARE has a tremendous impact on what you do.
