Remember: You Are More Than Your Profession Or Your Successes

We’ve introduced ourselves in our lives pretty often. Throughout middle and high school, we’re asked to go around and share our name and a fact or two. In college, we’re asked to go around and share our major.

In our professional lives, we sit down across a table from an interviewer whose first question is “Tell me a little bit about yourself.”

So you do. You start listing out all the things you’re composed of on paper. Where you went to school, what you studied, how many things you’ve achieved from grade school up until now, your strengths, your weaknesses, how you can be an asset to this company.

Has anyone stopped to ask us who we are without the professional titles, without our achievements? Who are we in our core?

We’ve been conditioned to believe, especially in certain cultures, that our worth is dependent on our professional success. Our society was conditioned to give people more power and respect if we’re in a career that makes six figures. When you’ve grown up to believe that you need to follow the traditional route of life, it’s impossible that this belief wouldn’t be embedded in our subconscious. Everything we do from a young age starts to revolve around how we can achieve more and more and more.

If I’m not worrying about my next professional role, I’m worrying about what I can learn to enhance my skills. To clarify, these are good things in doses but harmful when they take over your life, like mine.

Every creative idea I’ve had has turned into a way I can monetize it. When was the last thing I did something for myself without attaching a price to it?

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I recently went through a personal situation that unfortunately pushed me toward a downward spiral but opened my eyes to the fact that I cannot do everything. I cannot work on my full-time job while running a business, while having social plans, while dating, while traveling, while working on healing my anxiety, while attempting to relax. What am I doing this for? Is it because it’s what I’m “supposed” to do? Or is it because the world rewards people who are in a constant state of burnout?

I considered myself burnt out this past year until I realized that I’ve probably been burnt out every single year of my life since high school. Your brain has to work 10 times harder to live a life on full speed while battling a chronic anxiety disorder.

So with much thought, I resigned from a role I knew wasn’t bringing me joy anymore without having anything lined up or having an idea of what career change I’d like to make. I am extremely grateful and blessed to be able to take a decision as such because I know not everyone has this opportunity and I wish they did.

As scary as it was to take the plunge to pause my professional life, I feel free. I feel relief that for the rest of this year, my life is going to be taking care of myself without all the extras. And when I can take care of my soul and my mind, I’ll be on a path that I can confidently say is the one for me.

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The woman who’s had a plan since she was 13 years old has no plan. The woman who thought that her accomplishments have to be a core part of who she is currently has no career title attached to her.

So, let me (re)introduce myself:

Hi, my name is Aleena. I’m about to turn 30, but in my core, I’m either an inner child who finds joy in stepping on crunchy leaves, or an old soul who likes to sit on my balcony and drink my tea in pure silence. I travel the world on the lesser known path. I dance because it’s an expression of my creative mind. I write because it’s the only way I can articulate my thoughts. I love hard even though I don’t show it and I give my whole heart to people who can reciprocate it. I’m currently on a journey to rediscover who I am and I hope you can be a part of it with me.

And I’d love for you to tell me who you are, really.