Who you are, and what you do, are not the same.

Who you are, and what you do, are not the same.  Express your doing from your being, and you will enjoy what you do.  

This equals happiness.

Do this consistently, over a long period of time, and you will do what you want to do.  

This equals freedom.

Your natural essence is your inner beauty.  Let it shine.  

Your light is unique, and without the world is a darker place.

Paper People. Restore PT & Wellness, Ashburn, VA. photo by: Shannon Madden

Without a doubt, one of the most common ice-breaker questions in American society is this one: "What do you do?"

For some, the answer can be pretty simple--I'm a doctor, I'm a lawyer, I'm a teacher, I'm in advertising.

For others, this brings forth a wave of anxiety, because they might be doing something that isn't necessarily what they want to be doing and they don't want to be defined by it.  Or they may feel like they won't rank as high on the totem pole. Some people start to feel very small in the face of this question.

The quote above makes two points.

First, is that your job or what you do, is NOT who you are.  Even if your job might not be what you want it to be right now, there is no need to feel small in the face of the dreaded "what do you do?," question.

Who you REALLY are is your essence.  It comes from within and it is totally unique, but at the same time totally a part of the unified whole that makes us humans.

Letting this essence shine is the ultimate true self-expression.  It will make you feel alive and in-tune.  Not only that, but your light will shine upon who ever is around you, allowing them to feel safe to do the same.  It will send waves of positivity to everyone around you.  That is far more valuable than impressing someone with a job title.  

The other point this quote makes is that if your essence, or heart, is not in what you are doing, you are not allowing yourself to "do" as a natural extension of what you "are".  We all have to eat, but people who are internally motivated--not just motivated by a paycheck--are more productive, more focused, and more efficient.  Not to mention, to them, it doesn't really feel like work.  Doing what you love leads to happiness.  Unshakable happiness, in it's purest form, is the ultimate freedom.

We are all endowed with different gifts that are intended for us to share.  If we are motivated by purely external factors or are doing what we think we should be doing, rather than what we feel driven to do from within, it is almost certain that some of our gifts are going unused.

What are your gifts?  Are you sharing them?  How can you use them to contribute and make society, or simply someone's day, a little brighter?

Erie, PA, sunset. photo by: Shannon Madden