Does your job define you?

[Prana]

Do you work to live, or live to work?

Me, my job does not define me...and I work to live

I'm a nurse by trade, but consider myself an artist in life. I danced from the age of 2 through college, and studied studio art and dance performance in college before changing my major to nursing with a minor in studio art. Many nurses are nurses, through and through, and this extends to their outside lives as well....many nurses are very intense, so to speak. I consider myself to be just me though, an artist, a creator and an explorer, more than anything else.

 

[dragonfly411]

No.

I don't quite know what I define myself as. An artist and photographer.... a spokesperson for wandering animals.... a horse trainer.... a therapist for my friends? Sometimes I Just feel lost really... so I don't quite know where I fit.

 

[Autumnovember]

Do you work to live, or live to work?

Me, my job does not define me...and I work to live

I'm a nurse by trade, but consider myself an artist in life. I danced from the age of 2 through college, and studied studio art and dance performance in college before changing my major to nursing with a minor in studio art. Many nurses are nurses, through and through, and this extends to their outside lives as well....many nurses are very intense, so to speak. I consider myself to be just me though, an artist, a creator and an explorer, more than anything else.

Hi nurse!

I'm in an ABSN program right now and I'm hoping that when I do start working it isn't going to be something that defines me.

 

[Haven]

No.

I love my job, but it doesn't define me. I don't identify with many labels, though. I feel like our identities are so fluid as individuals, that labels fail to really do any good at trying to define anyone. (This is why I didn't really care about giving up my maiden name, as it certainly means nothing about *me* as a person. It's just another label.)

I definitely know people who identify themselves by their profession. I've met more than a few who respond with a short line about their job title when asked about themselves. To each his own!

 

[Prana]

No.

I don't quite know what I define myself as. An artist and photographer.... a spokesperson for wandering animals.... a horse trainer.... a therapist for my friends? Sometimes I Just feel lost really... so I don't quite know where I fit.

Same here...I'm whatever I feel like being at the moment

 

[Prana]

Do you work to live, or live to work?

Me, my job does not define me...and I work to live

I'm a nurse by trade, but consider myself an artist in life. I danced from the age of 2 through college, and studied studio art and dance performance in college before changing my major to nursing with a minor in studio art. Many nurses are nurses, through and through, and this extends to their outside lives as well....many nurses are very intense, so to speak. I consider myself to be just me though, an artist, a creator and an explorer, more than anything else.

Hi nurse!

I'm in an ABSN program right now and I'm hoping that when I do start working it isn't going to be something that defines me.

Good luck to you! Don't let it consume your life!!!! Once you're done and no longer studying, just enjoy it as a job, and keep the rest of your life separate.

 

[Prana]

No.

I love my job, but it doesn't define me. I don't identify with many labels, though. I feel like our identities are so fluid as individuals, that labels fail to really do any good at trying to define anyone. (This is why I didn't really care about giving up my maiden name, as it certainly means nothing about *me* as a person. It's just another label.)

I definitely know people who identify themselves by their profession. I've met more than a few who respond with a short line about their job title when asked about themselves. To each his own!

I like how you put it Haven...fluid identity. I try not to define people based on their surface identities, and I appreciate it when people give me the chance to let them get to know me before they judge.

 

[kenny]

In the eyes of most, yes.

In my eyes, no.

 

[merilenda]

No. I work in hospice/palliative care, and if you can't separate your personal life from the job, you won't last very long. I really think it's an absolute necessity in this field. I love working with the population, but when I go home at the end of the day, I'm finished until tomorrow.

 

[Prana]

No. I work in hospice/palliative care, and if you can't separate your personal life from the job, you won't last very long. I really think it's an absolute necessity in this field. I love working with the population, but when I go home at the end of the day, I'm finished until tomorrow.

This is my favorite type of nursing. I truly love taking care of these patients.

 

[IdLikeToBuyAVal]

I used to. My last job was very demanding, I felt I needed to rise to the occasion and I would and inevitably there would be additional challenges that I would need to conquer until I eventually had two and a half people's positions and came home exhausted every night. I compulsively checked my work email at home and on weekends and couldn't get a moment's peace. Eventually it wasn't fulfilling and I decided to leave. I had a really rough time for months afterward and felt really lost - I didn't know what I liked to do outside of work anymore. I don't find my new job challenging yet and I'm still searching for a happy balance.

I hope it gets better. I'm fairly new to the workforce - I took my first job at 16 and I'll be 26 in a few months. I think that's why I'm still struggling with the balance. I find if I don't get engaged at work and really interested, I don't do my best work and as a type A, that bugs me.

 

[artdecogirl]

Another nurse here and I like to think I work to live, while I like my job I do my best to leave it there and have so many other things that I love doing that nourish me and keep me going and I work to do these things. (I am a librarian / gardner / world traveler at heart) That being said I do believe it has shaped me in ways that effect life as a whole, it is sometimes hard to get riled up about day to day stuff your friends or family are talking about after the things you dealt with at work that day and if you carry on to me about this drama in your life and I have not had enough of the things I love lately (books, gardening or a trip) I may tell you to suck it up, quit whining and then proceed to tell you a gruesome story about how someones life really did suck bigtime and that you should be gratefull for the blessings in your life. (sheepish emotie) I try not to do this too often

 

[Dreamer_D]

Yes.

My work is my passion and my hobby, my social life, my fun. I get fulfillment from it and feel happy everyday that I am fortunate enough to have landed this career. I am not suited to many work environments so feel quite good to have found one that fits me so well.

I know who I am whether I work or not, but I really love doing what I do.

 

[iLander]

In the eyes of most, yes.

In my eyes, no.

I'll guess lawyer. Not because of anything you've ever said or done, but it is an occupation that people hear you say "I'm a lawyer", and they stop listening after that.

 

[dragonfly411]

ilander - there are other things that fall in the category. Surgeon, or doctor period, therapist, psychiatrist, artist, pianist....critic...teacher

 

[iLander]

ilander - there are other things that fall in the category. Surgeon, or doctor period, therapist, psychiatrist, artist, pianist....critic...teacher

Oh, I didn't mean it in a mean way, it just popped into my head. I have really got to stop blurting things out. . . .

And you're right, there are a lot of occupations that carry a lot of connotations with them.

 

[dragonfly411]

I didn't think you did I wanna know if you're right though!!!

 

[merilenda]

No. I work in hospice/palliative care, and if you can't separate your personal life from the job, you won't last very long. I really think it's an absolute necessity in this field. I love working with the population, but when I go home at the end of the day, I'm finished until tomorrow.

This is my favorite type of nursing. I truly love taking care of these patients.

I think hospice nurses have a slightly different personality than a lot of other nurses. A little more laid back maybe. Obviously that's a generalization, but that's been my experience. I love working with these patients, too. You really do learn so much about life from people who are dying.

To specify, I'm not a nurse. I'm a hospice social worker.

 

[Echidna]

Actually, I do think my work is a big part of my self-definition. I don't live to work but I love my job, and doing less-than-well in it last year REALLY messed with my self esteem. I was a bit surprised by that but there you go I'm having a hard time reading the "Wanting and Waiting" thread at the moment because I'm unsure how children fit for someone who is so defined by what they do. Muddled thoughts...

Then again, my job is similar to Dreamer's, so perhaps it's a personality/self-selection thing?

 

[Shoopy]

In my own personal experience and opinion, most in the US live to work. It is how our society is set up. Our lifestyles, benefits offered, salaries paid, leave given to spend with young children, typical holiday and vacation days given, lack of flexible hours or working styles, on and on all add up to poor work/life balance especially when in comparison to other parts of the world.

But I would imagine that my opinions is minority. PS is a rarity amongst various topics

 

[meresal]

I used to work-to-live and hated it... now, as a SAHM, I happily live-to-work.

I wake up every morning to the sweetest face in the world and as long as this is my job description, I will never wish it any other way.

 

[princesss]

I'm 50/50. I love my job, and feel really lucky to have a job I love, but it's not all of me. However, it's well suited to my personality and how I get satisfaction, so it's easy to blur the lines a little bit. Plus, I grew up around it, so it's always been a part of my life. I wouldn't say I live to work, though I do enjoy going to work and spend plenty of time there, since I have other hobbies and interests, but I wouldn't totally say I work to live, either.

 

[katamari]

Absolutely. I spend my days reading, thinking, writing, and talking about things I am terribly passionate about. And, I get paid to do it. I am blessed.

 

[jstarfireb]

I'm 50/50. I love my job, and feel really lucky to have a job I love, but it's not all of me. However, it's well suited to my personality and how I get satisfaction, so it's easy to blur the lines a little bit. Plus, I grew up around it, so it's always been a part of my life. I wouldn't say I live to work, though I do enjoy going to work and spend plenty of time there, since I have other hobbies and interests, but I wouldn't totally say I work to live, either.

This is also how I am. I'm a resident, so I obviously spend a lot of time at work...and when I'm not actually working, I can often be found talking about work. I really love what I do, and it's part of who I am. I couldn't have devoted so much time, money, and effort to it otherwise. However, I'm much more than just a doctor. And in fact, I'm a musician before I'm a doctor...if pressed to a wall and asked which one I'd give up, it wouldn't be music.

 

[dani13]

Another nurse here and I like to think I work to live, while I like my job I do my best to leave it there and have so many other things that I love doing that nourish me and keep me going and I work to do these things. (I am a librarian / gardner / world traveler at heart) That being said I do believe it has shaped me in ways that effect life as a whole, it is sometimes hard to get riled up about day to day stuff your friends or family are talking about after the things you dealt with at work that day and if you carry on to me about this drama in your life and I have not had enough of the things I love lately (books, gardening or a trip) I may tell you to suck it up, quit whining and then proceed to tell you a gruesome story about how someones life really did suck bigtime and that you should be gratefull for the blessings in your life. (sheepish emotie) I try not to do this too often

YES!!!! Soooo true (another nurse here). Sometimes I feel bad that I do this..... but really, we have seen it all, and honestly most people have NOTHING to complain about!!!!

 

[zoebartlett]

I try not to let it define me, but it's hard because I often spent a lot of time working outside of the workplace. I could definitely fall into the "workaholic" category at times. One of the first things I mention when someone asks about me is that I'm a teacher.

I try to leave work at school and focus on home life during weekends and vacations, but it's hard. I have gotten much better though. So I guess that's my long-winded way of saying that it's probably a 50/50 split (or close to it).

 

[bee*]

I find that I'm a bit of both. I absolutely adore what I do. I'm almost qualified now as a vet and I just can't wait until I graduate. It's a huge part of who I am but it's not everything. Over here we have great holidays and I think our working hours are a bit easier than they are in the US so it's probably a bit easier to work to live.

 

[elrohwen]

Not really. I definitely work to live - I'm not a workaholic and have no problem dropping everything to go home. I would be perfectly happy staying at home, having some horses, and never going to the office again.

However, I'm an engineer, almost all of my friends are engineers, and it does somewhat define me. I'm a nerd at heart and I love having nerdy conversations and watching nerdy tv shows, but my specific engineering job and company don't define me at all.

 

[Prana]

In my own personal experience and opinion, most in the US live to work. It is how our society is set up. Our lifestyles, benefits offered, salaries paid, leave given to spend with young children, typical holiday and vacation days given, lack of flexible hours or working styles, on and on all add up to poor work/life balance especially when in comparison to other parts of the world.

But I would imagine that my opinions is minority. PS is a rarity amongst various topics

I absolutely agree with you.

 

[Prana]

I used to work-to-live and hated it... now, as a SAHM, I happily live-to-work.

I wake up every morning to the sweetest face in the world and as long as this is my job description, I will never wish it any other way.

I'd be happiest in that job too!