Isn't it weird that when most people would introduce themselves to strangers they would say their names followed immediately by their professions or what they do for a living. Like, "Hi I'm Peter and I'm a lawyer". Why do we ever let the things that we do for a living define who we are? More than a decade ago, a friend and mentor started a small bag manufacturing company with seven sewing machines and a dozen employees and then he hired me to manage it for him. Within a year, the company's size tripled in terms of number of machines, employees and most of all sales. With the help of our loyal employees, the business grew bigger year after year. However, to sustain its growth I needed to devote most of my time and energy to it. To our employees, suppliers, customers and other people I did business with, I was the company and the company was me. And so when I closed the business after six years, I was devastated as if a part of me died.
But there is more to me than what I do for a living. My job is just a job, but that is not who I am. To my parents, I maybe their most rebellious daughter but in their eyes I am the smartest. My youngest sister who graduated valedictorian in high school and magna cum laude in college can't believe that in our mom's eyes I am the most intelligent. Each one of my three dearest sisters will describe me differently, depending on which part of our lives you want them to talk about. My friends from high school and in the various jobs I've had will have different perceptions of who I am. The things that I like to do and very passionate about is just part of the real me. However, it is in the eyes and minds of all the people who have been part of my life where I can find who I really am.
To know what others think of us is like looking at a mirror but seeing how we look like from within.
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