I like work. I like how it makes me feel after a long day of challenges, or when I can use my brain to be creative, strategise, problem solve and work in a team. All of it. And yes I happily allow work to define me.

Scrolling through inspirational quotes on Instagram or noticing the odd blog post shared on Facebook I have come across mentions of the philosophy that you shouldn’t define yourself by work or that your job does not define who you are.

Well I disagree with that.

Don’t get me wrong I understand that this philosophy comes from the fact that not all of us enjoy all of the work that we do and have experienced it many times in previous jobs. They can sometimes just provide financial security or have acceptable hours, they’re a stepping stone to what you actually want to be doing or are more convenient in terms of the commute. For some, their work can be unbelievably gruelling, taxing on the mind or body, demoralising or ridden with issues from co workers, management, working conditions and much more.

In this regard yes you should never feel that you deserve any of these types of issues. That just because you receive payment it is no excuse to have to withstand a bad workplace or even feel guilty about staying there because fundamentally it serves you in the areas that you need it to. This has no impute on your character and importance.

As someone who recently graduated from university and is currently spending a lot of time looking for jobs, applying for jobs, writing cover letters for jobs etc. I have realised how much of my identity was entrenched in whether I was working in a stock standard job that paid me. There is the obvious factor of money and the power to be able to spend and save as you wish, the stability and routine to fill your time with as well as the professional relationships you build and the skills/experience you acquire.

But if you aren’t currently in a position where you are able to receive some of those things it can be easy to fall into the assumption that you are entering the in between jobs phase where you’re “not really doing much”. Where you must feel lost, a bit useless, scared that you will never get the phone call or email telling you that you have been successful in perhaps one of the most singular definitions of success: getting the job and considering yourself a worker again.

As normal as it can be to have those feelings when job searching, too many of us feel as though we lose some of our value when we have left or been let go from a previous position and aren’t simply jumping to the next one.

In saying this I think that we need to have a more broader appreciation of our working identities outside of our job status and give some focus onto the fact that we still are incredibly valuable and knowledgeable contributors in society. I’m talking volunteering, the friendships and family relationships that we maintain and nurture, the artistic projects, musical endeavours, side hustles, online blogs, fan clubs, physical sporting challenges, mentoring we provide to those around us, the animals we raise and the learning that we undertake for the genuine pursuit of knowledge.

This work is exceptional and as well as all paying jobs it too makes the world go round. It requires our minds, energy and some of our greatest qualities. It needs to be celebrated in society more regardless of if we are paid for it or not and communicated to us that in times when professional work lets us down or is not around for us personal work is waiting excitedly for its specialist to return.

So one day when you find yourself in between jobs make sure to give yourself a break during this time, remember that it isn’t a negative phase and that you can define yourself by who you are as a worker but in all areas of your life. Not just the ones that write you a paycheque.