When adapting becomes your whole identity, how do you find your way back?
I was in a meeting in preparation for our business unit’s retreat.
We were discussing how to read our behavioral reports.
I asked a question about what does it mean when one of your factors are towards the middle.
The reply was that a factor towards the middle would indicate tendency to fluctuate between the two extremes.
As a result people may find it difficult to read you in that area.
Hmm ???? I thought. It explained a lot.
“I feel like I’ve been adapting so long that I’ve lost the essence of my true preferences,” I said.
Having been raised in a strict religious family, married at 21, a mother shortly after, and divorced by 31, there simply wasn’t any room for my desires. The rigidity of the workforce only compounded this feeling.
What was heart-warming was a colleague reached out to me after the meeting and thanked me for sharing.
She said:
You words resonated so much with me. It applies to so many aspects of life. I’m taking that thought with me. It’s a profound observation. Thanks for saying it.
…Her words will stay with me as well.
My solution is simple: I’m pursuing projects that ignite my curiosity and rekindles my child-like joy.
That joy is my key to reconnecting with the “essence of my preferences” and it is my hope that I will impact the lives of others along the way.
I’m Shannon, a multi-passionate working mom, who loves coffee☕, documentaries ????️and the history channel????!
I also have a newsletter designed to empower professionals to harmonize their work and well-being so they can thrive in both.
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