Why do I do what I do? What do I want next? Who are the people I want to do the next part of my journey with? What sort of work will make it possible for me to have the LIFE I want, not just the career I want? Where do I want to live and make a home?
Since leaving my job at Tourlane, these are the questions I roll around in my head on a daily basis. They are questions of place, value, balance, meaning, and happiness. For the first time in my life I have really been able to stop and think about what I want and why I want it.
What kept coming up for me was how much my personal core values were at the heart of these questions and decisions. And so over the past week I took the time to write them down, solidify their meaning to me, and make sure that they still resonate (because values often evolve as we do).
My values and the associated posts are below:
One of the fascinating things about writing these values out in detail is the realization of how little I have felt them and focused on them (specifically joy and belonging) over the past 3+ years. My agency was questionable but my joy and belonging were missing…which was a product of the pandemic, but also a product of my choices.
Having this all defined allows me to be much more focused in how I go about the next chapter. If I get nothing more than extra sleep and this focus out of this career break, then it will have been meaningful and worth each day. That is the ultimate in treating myself with Grace and practicing Agency.
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