Are you Addicted to your Designation?
Vandana Mehrotra
Tedx Speaker | IIMB GS10K | Wharton EAP. Passionate about Entrepreneurship & Creatorship, Building Early Stage Startups as Mentor, Advisor, Angel Investor | Growth Strategy, Expansion, Execution, Engagement - Core Skill
Would you like to be defined by your Professional Designation?
What does your professional designation reflect ? It just reflects your professional job role that you are person in Authority, Power, Leader, VIP, Important or none of it!
It is important only when you are playing that specific role for specific time within that boundary!
It is just your identity for a specific area of your life - just the professional identity, but you do play many roles in your life & one needs to learn to switch roles, switch designations seamlessly across other dimensions of life.
But the challenge is most of us play thatprofessional role outside too - we exercise our authority as a designated person everywhere - at home with spouse, with kids, with social circle, as citizen of a country & we expect privileges of that designation in whatever we do 24x7x365 & cycle continues...
How can you be a CEO or PM or a President, Sales Head, Surgeon, an Expert, Scientist, Engineer, TOP artist - Actor, Actress, Musician, Dancer, Painter all the time ?
These are empowering designations that boosts your self image/feeds your EGO.
Sometimes you are a father or mother, sometimes a husband or wife, sometimes a son/daughter, sometime just a friend, sometimes a soul mate, sometimes a citizen of this world, a human being, sometimes just YOU - living your Individuality! Knowing who you truly are...
How about a Garderner, sweeper,Security guard, maid, a driver, receptionist, Junior Staff? What do you think this may be doing to their self image if they dont like to be referred one all the time -- would'nt these be disempowering designations?
Everything is so EGOISTIC about that desigination.
The "I" stands out everytime you use your designation. People know who you are or when people refer you or introduce you with your designation - everytime it just feeds your ego!
What happens when you loose that Designation ? Possible reason could be due to retirement.
You lose you so called identity that you have carried for many many years? It's time to know your other Identity too - SEEK SELF
If people refer you with your Designation all the time, instead of your Name - Be careful of such people as they are your so called well -wishers & will cause you heart-aches. They are attracted to you because of your designation & the power it comes with because you are just so useful to them. Have you experienced such people in your life many times?
So start qualifying with whom you would love to invest your time & build relationships - the ones who really care for you & will be with your always - your loved ones, parents, spouse, children, family & friends or the ones who feed your ego & make you feel wanted, hang around with you because you may just be useful to them. You just need to qualify the FAKE from the REAL with an awareness within.
Growing in Maturity is
- Learning to switch between designations/roles when you have switch the roles
- Investing your time in relationships that matter the most in your life
- Doing things that matter the most in your life - Seeking SELF
- Qualifying the FAKE from the REAL
- Knowing that finally King & Pawn are placed in the same box in the game of chess.
- Knowing Life is one such GAME.
Play your PART LOVINGLY, HAPPILY, PEACEFULLY, BLISSFULLY instead of getting STRESSED OUT, EXHAUSTED, Being ANNOYED & UPSET involving your EGO every now & then with everyone for in the END all of us will be placed in the SAME BOX...
Ask yourself - Does my Professional Designation Really Matter that much as much I have given importance to it all my life or is that something else that MATTERS to ME THE MOST in my precious Life? Let the Search Begin...