A couple days ago, we covered “What Just Happened?”.
The immediate feeling we get after losing a job.
We covered how that moment is the start of a lifequake.
Creeping up right behind the start of the lifequake is “Where Did My Identity Go?”.
When working for a company, we often get our identity caught up in our title and that company.
Who we are has become intertwined with the role.
The longer we have been at a company, the more intertwined the identities.
“Work provides us with more than a paycheck. It gives us recognition, status, belonging, self-esteem, and reinforcement of our self-concept.”
This loss of identity is ironically (or purposefully) known as an “identity quake”.
The term was originally used in the book Difficult Conversations and later in Fierce Conversations.
We are shaken and forced to consider “Who Am I?”
My Perspective
Remember, a job loss is a significant life event, but it does not define our worth or potential.
We are so much more than a job title.
It can be difficult to start thinking about a sense of self-identity around work.
I recommend starting outside of work.
We can explore our values and get clear on what we stand for.
We can get underneath our identities outside of work and see the value we bring there.
With a list of values, other identities, and strengths outside of work, we can start to consider the value we bring into the workplace.
We ease back into that identity over time.
Here are past posts on values definition and identity.
This post flips the question of “Who Am I?” to a statement of “I Am”.
“It’s time to redefine who you are, not by what you do, but by what you can become.”
– Forbes
Your Turn
Have you ever experienced an identity quake?
How closely tied is your sense of self to your occupation?
What steps can you take today to start to unwind who you are from what you do?