During a conversation this week, my sister coined a phrase that really made me think. She said, “Have it on your resume of life.” I love that. It’s such an interesting way to think about how we navigate our lives.
What is on our ‘Resume of Life’? Is it the things we’ve done, the experiences we’ve had, the possessions we own? Is it our roles? What values do we attach to what achievements? What are the categories, significant moments, and accomplishments that would make the page noteworthy to share for our life’s work?
Here are some of my distinctions and musings. I am continuing to think about this idea. It’s a tremendous exercise, and one that really makes you stop and consider your life through different lenses and from various angels.
Mother: Skills include: Academic advisor, driver, nutritionist, sous chef, and chef du cuisine, stylist, consultant, personal financier, sounding board, worrier, facilitator, head of the fan club, event coordinator, director, producer, life coach, chameleon.
Wife: Marriage of 33 years consisting of: Acceptance, perseverance, love, heartache, loosing oneself and discovering her again, challenges, joys, and passion.
Children: Most worthy accomplishment, and greatest blessing. Three daughters, each having embarked on their tremendous journeys of life because of me, and none withstanding of me.
Friendships: These are amongst my most valuable life achievements. Our friendships are the mirrors of who we are. They challenge us to look at ourselves from various angles, and change and accept, and reach out. To have a friend is to be a friend. Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. “Pooh?” he whispered. “Yes, Piglet?” “Nothing,” said Piglet, taking Pooh’s hand. “I just wanted to be sure of you.” A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
Sister: Being a sister is truly about unconditional love. We share a past with our siblings, our lives are intrinsically interwoven, and we create our present, we unite our families, and hope for a future where the shoots and roots we have so ardently nourished continue to thrive and connect.
I have had many paying jobs along the way, some even significant, some that continue to define me, but my career has been my family.
Volunteer Positions: This is where we learn who we are at our core, and where we stand in the world. Where the idea that one person can change the world is abundantly and astoundingly apparent.
Writer: As the saying goes, ‘If I knew then what I know now’, I would have been a writer. I sincerely hope it is not too late!
A resume requires a statement of intention, a goal, and a direction. My personal statement for my Resume of Life is: To grant myself the courage and the wisdom to fulfill what lies within, to have conviction, to flourish and be for myself all that I wish for in my children.
What would be on your Resume of Life?
Photo: Passion Flower