What defines you?

What defines you? Who are you? You, not your job and not your family. You. Who are you?

All great questions to ask yourself. And what’s the answer? Do we have a good handle on how to do this? Are we taught that we are more than our job and our family? I’m not sure we are. Are we taught that we should have a good work / life balance and what that may or may not be? Probably not.

I know I think about all these questions a lot and I’m not sure I come up with any really good answers. I know that I am me and I wouldn’t want to be anyone else. I’ve been bullied and abused, praised and complimented for being me but that’s all that makes me who I am. It’s our one and only life (some would say that’s debatable) so what do you want to be known for?

For me, I want to be known for living. I want to be known for doing the things I want to do. I want to be known for pushing boundaries and living outside my comfort zone. To me, that’s they only way you can live. You can’t live in the comfort zone. There, you aren’t growing and learning. You aren’t having different experiences. It’s the rut, the place you get stuck. It’s warm and cozy but there’s always something in your mind that says “what if”. Listen to it. Do something about it. Don’t just go through life never answering these questions. Worst case scenario usually never happens and if it does you can learn from it.

I disliked my day job immensely. Not because of the job but because it wasn’t me. It wasn’t who I was or wanted to be. I was in a rut and I wasn’t growing or learning as much as I did when I was first there. I was going through the motions 8-5, M-F but I wasn’t really there. To reconcile that I leaped. I was scared and I’m still scared but I’m happier taking the leap into the unknown then never knowing.

What am I doing now almost a year after the leap? Still trying to figure out what fulfills me the most. I do have my own business. May not be as prosperous and I want it to be but it’s still better than a draining day job that doesn’t allow me time to breathe. I never want to go down that road again. I want to do work I’m passionate about and for people that I’m passionate to work for. I want to have that fulfilling feeling that I’m in the right space. I want to win in life. I want to show up because I want to not because I have to.

In closing, if you struggle, you are not alone. Find your community. Find the people that you aspire to be like. They’ll help you grow.

If you know anyone that needs branding, marketing or graphic design help. You are also not alone, I can help! I can also outfit the walls of your home with some of my beautiful travel photographs (but maybe I’m a little biased).

Who am I? I’m living! What defines me… I’m unconventional. I’m weird and quirky. I’m a work in progress. I’m awesome as I am but constantly trying to improve. I’m also an artist, designer, photographer, writer and roamer.

Pass it on, if you know someone I can help with my words or my art. Much love…Roux