When someome asks you what you do, what do you say?

"I'm a teacher."
"I'm staying at home with my kids right now."
"I do crossfit."
"My favorite thing is my painting."
"I'm working on my dissertation."
"I'm a yogi."

Instead of suggesting that you should be choosing one answer, or possibly redefining the answer you've already chosen, I'd like to propose a problem with the question.  That is, that you're only expected to have ONE answer. 

How ridiculous is that?

We learn as we grow older that we define ourselves by the things we do.  The things that occupy our time collect and pool in our lives until they become the well we drink from day to day and can't imagine ourselves without.  Filling our time with wonderful things - or work that leads to wonderful things - becomes a fulltime occupation. 

And then we get asked that question, and attempt to cram ourselves into a single sentence answer. 

Lately, social outlets and product marketers have been attempting to remedy the problem of that single-sentence by responding with labels for life-STYLES.  Depending on the activities you participate in, you can say a single word that stands for a whole conglomeration of things people can assume about your life.  A person who says "I'm outdoorsy" and a person who calls themselves "a fashionista" will be very different from each other.  The outdoorsy person likes granola, shops at sporting goods and fair trade stores, and probably has tan lines.  The fashionista is stylish, spends most of their paycheck on shoes/clothes/jewelry/beauty services, has an opinion on the way most other people dress.  They watch different television shows, eat different foods, have different friends.  It is encouraging to feel that we can safely assume these things.  We understand people. 

Right?

The problem of the lifestyles answer to the question of who you are and what you do is that, while it tries to give you a way to say more by saying less, it still diminishes your answer.  You are one word with a larger meaning, but still just one word.  

So heading into the weekend - the time when most of us find time for balance in our lives between work and play - and the balance work/playshop happening on Saturday, instead of thinking about the answer, look at the question. "What do you do?"

"Well, I'm..."

And go from there, remembering that you are not a sentence, not a word, not even a novel.  You are a person and the world is blessed to know you (and vice versa!).

Namaste and happy weekend!