Saturday I attended a birthday party for one of my friends. I only knew her, so I put on my best mingle-party-face and started talking to some of her other guests. After the obvious questions, regarding the reason for me attending the party – how I knew the birthday girl du jour- I was asked “what do you do for a living?” I don’t know if it’s the same everywhere, but were I’m from, it seems to be the number one question, when meeting knew people. I guess it’s out of curiosity and a way of getting to know the person standing in front of you a little bit better.
Today, whilst driving, I was listening to the radio and an interview with a professor teaching arts and crafts. It was on of those classic meet-today’s-guest-interview, when you get told the whole CV of the person in question, before you even get to hear, what that person has to say. “Today’s guest is 41 years old, he went to school at… at university at…. He now works at… where he is researching…” In no time I, as a listener, had all the facts regarding his education and work. Sunday, as I attended a workshop regarding intuition, we got to talk about identity. Work and identity. Identity and your job.
OK intuition, 3 x work and identity, I better write something about this.
It got me thinking about how much a job can be part of your identity. Or perhaps how much of your identity is part of your job? I couldn’t help wondering what would happen if the interviewer had asked, “So, how do you see yourself? How would you describe your life to someone, whom you have only just met? What’s your identity – the way you see it?”
And what would have happened on Saturday, when I, instead of talking about being unemployed, or that I was looking for a job, had said: Well, I’m mother that has taken some time out to look within, to really understand and get to know myself again after becoming a mother and nearly loosing my life. I am that kind of person, who wants to have a job, that helps makes a difference. And I need to write. Write stories. Maybe I can combine the two? I want to show my girls, that it’s so important to accept who you are, and what you want to do, and go after your dreams. Even if you don’t know what they are yet, then at least try to figure them out. And in time, you’ll get there.
And I love travelling. I could carry on about this for a looooong time. And expressing myself in a different language, than my own. Hearing and learning about languages. And cultures. And food.
I am also that kind of person who loves being and thinking with a touch of creativity. Like when I found the golden star in my pocket (one can only guess, who put it there in the first place). Is it now a crown, a bowl or still just a star? Or all of the above?
From what angle do you view your identity?
How to find your Silver Lining 
I think you have a very complex and interesting identity – and I, for one, would love to bump into you at a mutual friends birthday party and have a chat about how you view the world 🙂
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Thank you very much. Me too – I think we would have a lot to talk about 😊 I think that, how you see the world and how you meet others, listen to them, talk with them, says a lot about who you are.
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