The inevitable icebreaker question that comes up when you meet someone is “What do you do?”
I’ve never been a fan of it – because your work should never define who you are.
I design. I develop. I consult. I write. That’s what get’s done each day, but it’s not what I do.
Anybody with Adobe Creative Suite can call themselves a designer. Someone who knows a little HTML and CSS can claim to be a developer. Any teenager can fire up a blog and start writing about the Kardashians. Defining what I do by the work that gets done falls well short of accurately illustrating what really drives and excites me.
What do I do? I solve problems, inspire ideas, and create solutions. I make things better. I bring out the best. I help individuals, businesses, and organizations discover potential they never new existed. I guide. I point people in the right direction. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
What do you do? Maybe you write press releases, repair cars, clean houses, or manage budgets. But that’s not the answer to the question.
You ease fears, make people smile, leave others satisfied, grow profits, develop exciting ideas, or challenge people to think in new ways.
What you do is greater than the sum of it’s parts. And if you’re doubting the impact of what you do day-to-day, focus not on the task at hand, but on the end result. The solution you offer. The clarity you provide. The excitement you ignite.
The question shouldn’t be “What do you do”? Instead, it should be, “What do you create?”, “Who do you empower?”, “What empire are you building?” Odds are you do a lot more than you think.
What do you do?