"What do you do?"

Who am I? What am I doing here? What are my strengths and weaknesses? These are questions that I've been considering A LOT lately. Now that I've been out of school for a couple of years and am no longer considered a "student", what am I? A "worker"? Ugh...

When we're out in a social setting, meeting new people, one of the first questions we are asked is, "What do you do?"

Ummmm What do you mean what do I DO? Like all day? Well when I drive I listen to music in the car. I watch Teen Mom too much. And, I mean, I drink decaf coffee with way too much hazelnut creamer every morning, but I'm not sure that's what you're looking for here....

Oooh you mean my occupation. So I'm a graphic designer. What does that tell you about me? That I've earned a degree in something and now that's what I do to make a living. Does that tell you anything about who I am? Not really. 

One might assume that because I'm a graphic designer, I'm super into fonts and I only listen to out-of-the box music. I hate main-stream bands and I spend my time on the weekends designing logos in the smallest coffee shop I can find. I have tattoos and piercings in places you wouldn't even dream of and I know every art museum in town like the back of my hand.

1. First of all, eclectic and "out-of-the-box" music is OK, but I can (and will) bust a move to Justin Bieber and Meghan Trainor better than all ya'll. 
2.  I AM super into fonts. That wasn't a lie. 
3. I don't remember the last time I was in an artsy coffee shop and 
4. I don't have any tattoos. Not yet anyway. I have piercings but only in appropriate and comfortable places above the neck. 
5. I live in Minnesota and I've never even been to the Walker Art Museum so let's not even consider that stereotype.

We're constantly being put into buckets. It starts at a young age when we begin to make friends and compare ourselves to those around us. Are you a popular kid? Get in that red bucket over there. A band geek? You're in the blue bucket over there. A jock? An art freak? A Mathlete? (Thank you, Kevin Gnapoor)

 

 

Sometimes on American Idol, a contestant comes out and has this different voice...something like blue grass music with a touch of jazz to their voice. Or a bubbly pop girl sings with this raspy rock & roll tone to her voice. The judges struggle to define this person. What genre should this person be in? They're trying to come up with a word, or 'bucket' to put this person in but they can't so they say, "I'm not sure this competition has a place for you" or "I'm not sure you'll do well on this show" and the contestant goes home alone with their enormous bundle of talent, all because they didn't fit into one of the 4 or 5 buckets that are available.  

This is why I'm not a fan of that question, "What do you do?" Because what I do to make a living is not what I live for and it's not who I am. It doesn't tell you enough about my personality and it's not how I define myself. I don't want to be permanently placed into a bucket with a sterotype based on what I do for a living. I don't even know if it's what I will be doing 2 years from now.

What matters is what you do AFTER work. What you think about while you're at work. Who you spend your time with. What you say to them and how you say it. When it's only Tuesday and you text your friend asking if they want to come over and drink wine on Friday because you're already looking forward to the work week being over so you can hang out, talk about your week, laugh, drink and watch movies. We work to live, we don't live to work.

Don't get me wrong, I want to excel in my career just as much as the next gal. My point is this: don't get caught up in a workaholic life. In the U.S. we work more than any other country. We work longer days, are given less vacation days and we are later to retire. Only about one third of American workers consider themselves happy while at work and a quarter of us are working over 50 hours a week. 

What is the deal? Why are you giving all of yourself to this job? If you love it and you truly believe you are making a difference in something you care about, then by all means, please do it! For me, I'm not sure if I'm there yet. I don't know if I will be in this profession forever, but I do know that I don't want to be defined by it. I want to be defined by the kind of person I am and how I treat others. Both in and out of the workplace.

Yes, working is important. We all need to work to make money so we can survive and stuff. And yes, you should try your best at every job you have and try to excel in your career as far as you can. But this doesn't need to be how you define yourself to others, unless you want to. 

I look forward to the day when someone asks me, "What do you do?" and I have the guts to respond with, "Well....I'm a graphic designer. But I'm also a kick-ass mom, a loving wife, a great friend and I love writing and giving hugs. That's what's important to me. What do you do?" 

Your friend, 

Meghan