TCW #017 | Special Edition: What Work Means to You
Walking through a popular tweet that I post on Twitter every month or so -- partly for my own benefit. It's all about perspective.
Today, I wanted to take a step back and talk about something we don’t often talk about: the role that careers play in our lives (and how this can shift from time to time).
Some of you may notice that this post is a few days late.
A few paid subscribers even let me know they were disappointed by my tardiness by unsubscribing, and I understand.
Life has taken a few difficult turns in the last few weeks. Two weeks ago, my house flooded from a massive water leak in the flat above mine.
(I will spare you the details, but the source was a clogged, overflowing toilet in the flat above mine)
I quickly learned that my home is 50% totaled, I had to move out, and it’s unlikely that I will be back in my home by the time my first child is born in October (yep, I’m expecting!).
Over the next 5 days, I went through all the emotions:
shock
immense financial fears (“what if the insurance doesn’t cover this?”)
self-pity (“why me?!? why now?”)
and finally, acceptance (“ok, life, let’s do this.”)
Everything is OK now, but it’s been all-hands-on-deck for the last 14 days:
collecting evidence and documentation
drying out the walls, floors, and ceilings (with 140F, 10% humidity!)
getting insurance involved and the claim approved
breaking the home I cherished: breaking the beautiful floors, historic walls and perfectly preserved accents, 120-year-old redwood floors, and plaster ceilings to dry the structures
finding an architect for the rebuild
finding general contractors
seeking temporary housing for humans plus our dog and cat
moving (and living out of suitcases)
mourning the baby nursery decorating that we were planning but will not happen
juggling work and life and 😞 emotions 😧
This post is about perspective, and I got a heaping tablespoon over the last two weeks.
I hope this helps you as much as it helps me.
Work can mean anything or nothing
Here’s what I posted on Wednesday:
I grew up in a house where work meant everything to my mom (“work is my identity”) and absolutely nothing to my dad (“work just pays the bills”).
I’ve seen the polar ends of the spectrum, and I’ve seen it work for both of them.
I share this thought on Twitter about once a month to catch people at just the right time:
dealing with more than they think they can handle in work or life (or both!)
who’ve been laid off and searching for months with no bites
who are questioning the role of work in their life (right now or philosophically)
who are diving into their first job and are wrapping their identity in their job
who gave up on the rat race and started a solopreneur journey
taking a mental or spiritual health break
coming back to work with new energy after a break
trying to re-enter the workforce after a big break (and not sure how to navigate it)
feeling hopelessly stuck or lost in their careers
loving every moment of their work and soaking it up like a sponge
Remember that your feelings about work may be constant, or they may evolve or shift over time — and that’s part of the journey of life.
Embrace what you’re dealing with, and remember that you’re the designer of your life, your family, and your career.
Design whatever works for you, and re-design when things shift.
🙏 That’s a wrap!
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