Like many, my professional life has been an epicenter of stress for a number of reasons: not knowing what I want to do, setting bars too high, prioritizing my customer’s or supervisor’s needs to the point of burn-out, just not being where I want to be yet.

I note my own career challenges because they have perpetuated a deeper sense of unfulfillment that for many years creeped into my sense of self… or lack thereof. An interesting job is something to be proud of and can generate the respect of others, but at what cost do we allow our projected image to be dictated by what we think will impress others? My desire to be “TITLE X” or to have a certain income eventually blocked my ability to appreciate the rest of my unique being. The less confident I was with what I wanted to do professionally, the less confident I became in my relationship with myself, which inevitably spread into my participation with activities and people I loved.

It’s taken some therapy, some Tera Brach, a lot of patience, a lot of forgiveness, and a lot of time to reevaluate my sense of self as more than my income or job title. Now that I am able to appreciate the dynamics of myself as a whole, I am able to emphasize the things I like about my life… which clearly has very little to do with my career!

I focus on being a good wife, friend, daughter, I focus on creating environments and moments that are objectively positive. My efforts go into generating and maintaining a healthy mind, a healthy body, and making the most out of this amazing experience we know as life.