"Do you want to let yourself be defined by your possessions or by your job? I mean this as a serious question, because you could identify yourself with your job or your money or your possessions. Or you could identify yourself with your inner qualities and with happiness. It really is up to you." The 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, in The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out, ©2013
I used to divide people into "young" and "old" by how they responded when I asked them to tell me about themselves. If they replied with a job title, they were "old"; if they talked about music or art or literally anything else, they were still "young."
There are very few "young" people any more, and the ones I do know are (ironically) rather old.
I used to describe my JOB more than myself when asked. I just didn't want to BE that person anymore. As I write this, I am at my "job" but I have the window blinds wide open and am watching birds and looking at the beautiful array of colors in my plant gave me for my birthday . I had a job where I made a WHOLE lot of money, but that did not make my life richer. I would not trade the love I have in my life with my husband, Thomas and our 5 little cats for anything.
ReplyDeleteI like this Abby/Abbie? I found it interesting because I’ve never described who I am by my job title, just by saying what I like most in life and what I enjoy to do. 😊
ReplyDeleteI suspect I would give you a 'rabbit in headlights' stare if you asked me that, haha! I don't know what that would make me. I would probably end up talking about my mother and the cats.
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