Who Are You Without Your Job Title?

For decades, your job title was your introduction to the world—a shorthand that told people who you were and where you belonged. Now, stripped of that familiar label, you might feel like you're meeting yourself for the first time.

But your job title was never really you anyway. It was just the role you played for eight hours a day. The person who stayed up all night with a sick child, who could make anyone laugh at a dinner party, who remembered everyone's birthday—that person existed long before your career and remains completely intact.

**Try this:** Write down three stories about yourself that have nothing to do with work—moments when you felt most like yourself. Share one of these stories with someone this week instead of defaulting to your old professional introduction.

**Journal Prompt:** What did you love about yourself at age 10, before career ambitions took hold? How might that child recognize you in who you are today?