Notes from Paris: If you’re not your work, who are you?
Paris is starting to feel less like a holiday and more like normal life.
This week was fairly simple: a concert at the Philharmonie, an art exhibition that wasn’t really my thing, a dear friend staying for the weekend, and cousins arriving soon. Lots of small social moments, and a bit less exploring.
The weather has turned colder and wetter, so days feel more indoor and routine.
We also celebrated crepe day (candelmas). Now that’s a national festival I can get behind.
I’ve moved up a level in French class, which is exciting… and, yet again, humbling. I’m definitely at the bottom of the new group, concentrating hard just to keep up. I even felt a bit teary for a brief moment today at how difficult it was.
Time is flying. Weeks are stacking up quickly.
It’s a good reminder that progress often looks quite ordinary from the inside… just showing up, paying attention, and slowly getting more comfortable. True for you?
From now until I return from sabbatical on the 7th April, I wanted to continue sharing the ideas that clients most often return to - the ones that spark reflection, shift perspective, and help make work a little more human.
This week’s topic is: If you’re not your work, who are you?
Imagine two circles. One represents you, one represents your role at work.
How much overlap is healthy?
If the two are completely aligned, there is no “you” outside your work. This can provide a level of positive reward – you will be very focused on success at work because it will feel like survival, and this will drive you to achieve results… often to the point of serious overwork and burnout.
That’s clearly also risky, because you are not, in fact, your work. If your work disappeared, or threatened to, you would likely experience it as a loss, possibly even a potentially devastating loss of self.
Until next week, au revoir
Madeleine
PS I’m back on deck from 7 April. If you’d like to book in coaching or a workshop ready for then, simply email Nicole here or phone her on (02) 8005 1604.
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