For many years when people asked me what I do I’d say something like “I’m a tax consultant” or “I’m a tax partner at Deloitte”. It was terrifying to drop these labels/titles… how would I answer the “what do I do question”? However, when I stopped thinking about what I do in terms of my title, status, and specific career label, I found that I have a lot to say!

I remember writing in my journal about this very subject… I asked myself what I really do… not what my title is, but what do I do when I’m at my best, happiest, providing the most value… when I’m in my zone. I started with a task specific list… leadership, strategy, conflict resolution, connecting with people, coaching, etc. Then I started to think about how I do these things most effectively… what is really driving me. I came to the conclusion that I transform through love, connection, and leadership.

The cool part about getting to the core of what I do is that it’s not just in my professional life, transformation through love, connection, and leadership permeates through my entire life and how I approach the world. This is how I serve and provide the most value. This is a critical part of my life vision and when I ask myself how I can serve every day, I ask myself how I can use my transformational ability to help others and make positive change.

What do you do? I talk to people every day that place labels on themselves that undervalue their contributions. Think of a “stay-at-home parent” for example… the job market may say that she/he doesn’t have any employable “skills”. To that I say, really? Let’s be more creative! Most of the stay-at-home parents I know are managers, logistics designers, caregivers, coaches, and the list goes on and on.

I challenge you to peel back the title and look underneath… what do you do? Give yourself the opportunity to think beyond the title and boxes you’re in. I bet you do some pretty amazing things! You may even find that you have a lot more to offer than your current career is allowing you to contribute.