WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING?

I’m an Aquarian, and for those of you who know a bit about astrology, Aquarians are, well, a bit into doing things differently. We revel in nonconformity and nothing delights us more than shocking others. I admit it puts a smug little smile on my face every time. Since I tossed my career out the window a year ago, I have been faced with grappling with that horrid question: What do you do for a living? I get it every time I meet someone new: What do you do?

What do I do? Suddenly I was stripped of my identity. Without a job, how could I define myself in the eyes of the world? For weeks I found myself in a mini dark night of the Soul, questioning my value just a bit. Who was I and how was I important if I no longer had the status symbol of a job title to define me? At first I went through the drill and tried to come up with something socially acceptable: “Well, I was an Education Director (oh the importance of those capitals!) and now I’m taking a sabbatical to start a business.” That seemed to do the trick! “Oh, how exciting!” or “Wow! Aren’t YOU lucky!” or even (yes folks, it still lives) “How lovely that you have a husband who can support you while you experiment.”

But something was wrong. It didn’t feel good to say this. For one thing, I knew in my heart that this was no sabbatical–I was making the final cut and had no intention of ever reentering the world as a paycheck collector ever again. Secondly, the term “business” still had all those socially viable connotations attached. When the inevitable follow-up question of what kind of business I was starting came and I responded by saying Soul Purpose Guidance, well, that was then my newly found acquaintances subtly and politely sashayed to the other side of the room. A problem? No way! What an Aquarian delight! I quickly began to feel the pleasure of speaking my truth and it gave me courage to be, and to announce, who I am. A few months later I progressed further to answering, “writer”, “author” “inspirer” “and Joy Guide”. Hmmn. STILL, I was defining myself by what I did. More searching, and then it came to me:

I discovered the best answer of all, “I live for a living. Like the flowers do.”

Another dinner party.
“What do you do?”
“I live for a living. You know, like the flowers do.”

They still bolt across the room or stare at their shoes, but I know that in shocking them I am also giving them a gift. They can do what they will with my little verbal bouquet of wisdom, but I wil keep giving it. I’m on a mission, you see, to wake people up to the fact that their presence on this Earth is what makes them worthy and valuable, and no more. In fact, it is being your unique being that the world most needs. I’ll give my bouquet to you here too:

Your purpose is not what you do. Your purpose is who you are.

Live who you are out loud!
Melody

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