When we meet someone new, the first question we ask apart from their name is, “What do you do?” We further narrow it down to their department and their designation. But the real question is, is our work our only identity?
In school or college, our personalities are so vibrant. We take pride in our multifaceted creative sides. Then why do we become so one dimensional when we join the workforce?
Our jobs shouldn’t define us; they are just a part of our lives. In the movie, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Farhan Akhtar’s character says that he is a copywriter when asked the above question by Naseeruddin Shah’s character. He frowns and says, “That is for others. Apne liye bhi kuch likhte ho?” (Do you write something for yourself?)
We often blame the shortage of time or too much work pressure for not pursuing our hobbies. We appease ourselves by shoving our pastimes to the weekends. However, many a time, this makes us guilty, and we approach them like just another chore. Subsequently, we forget them, and soon they leave us like migratory birds during winter.
However, the only difference is that they don’t return during summers because there are none!
Virginia Woolf said, “If you are losing your leisure, look out! It may be you are losing your soul.”
So, let’s not lose our souls and instead of chipping away, let’s become whole again!