Work is Personal

People always say things like “I don’t mix my personal life with my work life.” I think there is a fundamental problem with this way of thinking.

Work is intensely personal. What one chooses to do for a living is part of what defines them. Whether I am a  waitress at a greasy spoon diner or the CEO of Microsoft, there is a fine line between what I do and what I am.

What one does for a living drives everything from social circles, living arrangements, to an entire lifestyle.

I don’t normally ask people what their job is. I ask them what they do. It’s a much more thought provoking question. “I’m a call centre manager”, one person might say, if I ask what their job is. If I ask what they do, though, they may answer, “I work with a bunch of people that help other people solve their problems with technology.” Now, isn’t that much more interesting?

I am a creator, a storyteller.  I make ideas happen. That’s what I do.

What do you do?