Actors are not the only people who play roles. We all do!
Lets take for example a married woman, who just had a baby. Please read on, even if you’re a man or not married! 😉
Before giving birth, she played the role of wife, friend, daughter, sister, colleague … you name it! I’ll name these external roles. She juggled between those different roles, some of them more exiting then others, some contradictory values.
There is one more role, and many times we’re not even aware of it: your true self, the person who you really are, not what others say you should be or do. No wonder why, with so many external roles requiring our attention, we forgot about this one. And I think this one is very important, because it’s the one the gives you’re a lot of energy and enthusiasm when you’re paying attention to it. If you’re not happy, if you’re not paying attention to what YOU also like and want (and do something about it), in time you can loose the connection with your true self… and no other (external) role could replace it! Even more, if you continue to pay attention only to external roles (forgetting about yourself), you cannot make the people around you happy and satisfied for a long time … because you loose your energy is this process of … only giving!
Sometimes we get bored or tired of one role, and we can switch to another – isn’t it great we have so many?! 😉 Sometimes we’d like to try a new one, just for fun (to speak up if we don’t usually do, to be the clown, etc.). 😉 Or switch with someone else… the role of taking the garbage out! 😉 As long as you are aware of your roles, and you don’t consider them the “real” YOU, you’re ok and can joggle them pretty well.
Going back to our example: with the moment of birth, she’s adding a new role on her portfolio: mother! 😉 That cute little baby requires a lot of attention, so … this role will probably get the highest priority. From now on, everything gravitates around it… and other roles might suffer. Including the connection with her true self. “When can I find time for that too?”, she might ask, already tired. “When the baby sleeps or when daddy takes the baby for a walk”, for example. Help him switch roles too, so he can better understand your role. 😉 As long as you’re aware that you need that connection with your true self, you’ll find time for it. And that connection helps you navigate easily through the other roles, feeds your soul and… you might even get creative! 😉
What do you think? How many roles do you have and how good are you at juggling them all? Which one is the most important?
Please leave a comment. I’m curious. 😉
Gabriela
I liked this one
It is like you are talking about me. Great job
I have a role of a business man, I writer, an employee (the list can go on)
I like the role of a business man better
Hi Patrick, was I talking about you? Wow, I didn’t know that you gave birth recently, congratulations! 😉 (Just kidding!)
That’s good that you noticed your roles, now pay attention to the conflicts between them and how you can handle them better. Also, how they can help each other, their priorities, challenges, etc. Which one seems overwhelming? Is that role overwhelming or how you joggle between all them? What can you learn from their challenges?
Is that enough work until next post? 😉
Gabriela
I liked this one
It is like you are talking about me. Great job
I have a role of a business man, I writer, an employee (the list can go on)
I like the role of a business man better
Hi Patrick, was I talking about you? Wow, I didn’t know that you gave birth recently, congratulations! 😉 (Just kidding!)
That’s good that you noticed your roles, now pay attention to the conflicts between them and how you can handle them better. Also, how they can help each other, their priorities, challenges, etc. Which one seems overwhelming? Is that role overwhelming or how you joggle between all them? What can you learn from their challenges?
Is that enough work until next post? 😉
Gabriela
Gabriela-
This is such an important message for everyone, especially moms! It’s so easy to lose yourself in all of the different roles we play, and when we lose ourselves we can’t give what we uniquely offer to the world.
Thanks so much for sharing!
Warmly,
Kirsten Nelson
60SecondParenting.com
My pleasure Kirsten. Thanks for the comment, I totally agree with you. I wish I knew all that when my children were small. Well, it’s never too late to wake up! 😉
Gabriela-
This is such an important message for everyone, especially moms! It’s so easy to lose yourself in all of the different roles we play, and when we lose ourselves we can’t give what we uniquely offer to the world.
Thanks so much for sharing!
Warmly,
Kirsten Nelson
60SecondParenting.com
My pleasure Kirsten. Thanks for the comment, I totally agree with you. I wish I knew all that when my children were small. Well, it’s never too late to wake up! 😉