Who are you—really?

"Men are defined by their jobs and careers." Didn't we hear that often in the past?

While that still may be true for many men, it can also be true for women now. In the past several decades, careers have taken on much more importance to women as we've been able to attain access to positions never before thought possible. That's a good thing. I count myself among those women who have fought hard for the right of our gender to go where we'd never gone before, to do what we never dreamed possible.

The same down side to that is what has plagued men forever: We can become too identified with our jobs or careers. I discovered the truth of that when I was Reduced In Force from my long-held position as managing editor of a magazine. My question then became: Who am I now? And it took me a year or more to find the answers. Actually, I'm still discovering them as I continue moving toward authenticity.

That's the question I pose for you, whether you have a career or not, whether you are retired or are a stay-at-home mom (that's a career!) or however you spend your days: Who are you if you are not defined by a job or career? Who is the real you?

Who are you? What's important to you? What do you require in your life to be content and happy? Who and what defines you? The less we allow others to define us (or approve of us), the happier we'll be. We really are the only experts on our own life.

I'd love to hear in the Comment box below where you're at with these questions. Perhaps you have a different take on this topic? Please share it with us.