Diversify Your Identity Beyond the Office

Maria was an award-winning architect, but her world revolved entirely around the next skyscraper proposal. Her days blurred into CAD lines and client calls, and her weekends felt like a stretch goal at work. One afternoon, she stumbled upon her college flute, long hidden in a closet. Out of curiosity, she joined a community orchestra and squeezed rehearsal time into her calendar—at first awkwardly, mind you, fumbling half-notes. She felt a flutter in her chest not from a client compliment, but from those first clear flute tones in the concert hall. Gradually, orchestra nights became sacred—she protected them like board meetings. Over months, Maria noticed her design work actually improved—the clarity she found making music translated into more imaginative building ideas. When her boss eventually offered her a major promotion, Maria knew whether to accept it with the same joyful confidence she felt holding her flute. Intrinsic motivation and psychological research teach us that when we invest in multiple sources of meaning, we build self-complexity. That broader identity makes stress in just one area less overwhelming and boosts resilience across the board.

You’ll choose three roles outside of work—friend, parent, volunteer—and each Sunday night, list them and block time in your phone just like you do for work meetings. Then, each evening, write two sentences on how you honored one of those roles that day, even if it was just a quick phone call or five minutes of painting. Notice how protecting that time makes you feel more balanced and energized farther into the workweek—give it a try tonight.