Hi Laia, thank you for this! I can very much relate with the confining question... I am an American ex-pat living in England. I am a professional classical musician, a violin and viola teacher, a yoga teacher, and I currently dream of becoming a personal trainer in my 50's to support women in the second half of their lives. I am the Mom of a toddler, pregnant again at the age of 40, and have ulcerative colitis. I love deep chat and one of my very favorite things is to sit alone in silence. I'm a fan of yours through EkhartYoga, as well! Thank you for all you do.
Thank you for reading and taking the time to reply, and for following me on EY.💛 Congratulations on your pregnancy 😍.
Migrating to another country is such an enriching experience, especially for someone as multifaceted as you.
You do an excellent job at it, yet I bet it's interesting to try to answer that question of "what do you do" when it is done without much intention on context.
Thank you for your beautiful share, Laia. I initially found you on Elephant Journal and have followed you here on Substack. I love that you raise this question because many of us are conditioned to identify with what we do professionally, as if we were nothing without a job. I am currently taking a career break and it has taken me some time to redefine my identity (and also realise how much I don't know about myself!) These days I describe myself as a living paradox and here is a snippet of who I am: Grew up in a traditional Chinese family and have chosen to live life unconventionally away from societal expectations. Used to live in shame because of my hard of hearing and have now turned it into my superpower. Trained as a methodical pharmacist and also trust the infinite power of energy, spirits and stars. Sending you love and light! 💛☀️🌟🌈
I love this, Laia! I once reconnected with a close confidant after we hadn't talked for a year or so. So many changes had happened for both of us, so when we got on the phone, we literally reintroduced myself and said: "Nice to meet you." It was a fun acknowledgment of how we weren't the same people anymore. I kinda wish it was more common to just be able to do that so we can get a more updated picture of who someone is, rather than who they were when we first met.
For instance, I never really liked my first name so I recently decided to go by my middle name Louise instead, and it's interesting to notice how that change can make some people feel a bit uncomfortable.
Thanks for sharing the inefficiency of words in capturing the entirety of our being, Laia. I find that when that question is posed the “…for money?” part is silent 🙃. So I usually follow up with “do you mean, for money? For enjoyment? In which way do you mean?” We live in a capitalist society where one’s worth is derived from the amount of capital they are able to acquire but most people don’t recognize the implicit role it plays in our life (fish in water 🤷🏾♀️)
Now, mostly, I’d answer, I feel. That’s what we’re all here to do. To experience the many facets of human existence.
Hi Laia 💫 I've just found your youtube page and substack through a Google search for what I thought wasn't going to be a real thing... 'couch yoga'. I then saw your productivity videos which then took me to your writing on here, and I cant quite believe my luck for stumbling across you.
Your approach to life and your aim behind your work here is so admirable and I resonate with it so much. I wanted to leave a comment because I struggle to answer this question having gone through different careers and having so many goals but also so many different parts of myself and what I do. I also struggle to ask this question, so I end up asking things that perhaps sound a bit odd, like what gets you up in the morning, and what makes you feel warm inside, and how do you spend your days. I think though that reflecting on this makes us all better conversationalists and shifts what we think of as valuable I guess.
Most days I answer this with 'i do lots of things! at the moment I'm a PhD student, I fill my days with research and writing, but I really value time with friends and family and I love nature, what about you?' I find that often people have enough in there to pick at what they find most interesting, and it's a good start to the conversation. Some days I'll answer more specifically with something I've been working on, it kind of depends on the vibe I get from the person asking as well I guess!
Anyway, thanks for sharing this, and sorry to be commenting on an older post!
Hi Laia, thank you for this! I can very much relate with the confining question... I am an American ex-pat living in England. I am a professional classical musician, a violin and viola teacher, a yoga teacher, and I currently dream of becoming a personal trainer in my 50's to support women in the second half of their lives. I am the Mom of a toddler, pregnant again at the age of 40, and have ulcerative colitis. I love deep chat and one of my very favorite things is to sit alone in silence. I'm a fan of yours through EkhartYoga, as well! Thank you for all you do.
Hi Gwen!
Happy World IBD week! 💜
Thank you for reading and taking the time to reply, and for following me on EY.💛 Congratulations on your pregnancy 😍.
Migrating to another country is such an enriching experience, especially for someone as multifaceted as you.
You do an excellent job at it, yet I bet it's interesting to try to answer that question of "what do you do" when it is done without much intention on context.
So happy to connect here 🙏🏾
Thank you for your beautiful share, Laia. I initially found you on Elephant Journal and have followed you here on Substack. I love that you raise this question because many of us are conditioned to identify with what we do professionally, as if we were nothing without a job. I am currently taking a career break and it has taken me some time to redefine my identity (and also realise how much I don't know about myself!) These days I describe myself as a living paradox and here is a snippet of who I am: Grew up in a traditional Chinese family and have chosen to live life unconventionally away from societal expectations. Used to live in shame because of my hard of hearing and have now turned it into my superpower. Trained as a methodical pharmacist and also trust the infinite power of energy, spirits and stars. Sending you love and light! 💛☀️🌟🌈
Hi Bonnie!
Somehow this message fell through the cracks. 🙏🏾
I wonder if you'd describe yourself the same way after a year? I'd love to hear how your career break is going and how your life has shifted. 💛💛
I love this, Laia! I once reconnected with a close confidant after we hadn't talked for a year or so. So many changes had happened for both of us, so when we got on the phone, we literally reintroduced myself and said: "Nice to meet you." It was a fun acknowledgment of how we weren't the same people anymore. I kinda wish it was more common to just be able to do that so we can get a more updated picture of who someone is, rather than who they were when we first met.
For instance, I never really liked my first name so I recently decided to go by my middle name Louise instead, and it's interesting to notice how that change can make some people feel a bit uncomfortable.
Thanks for sharing the inefficiency of words in capturing the entirety of our being, Laia. I find that when that question is posed the “…for money?” part is silent 🙃. So I usually follow up with “do you mean, for money? For enjoyment? In which way do you mean?” We live in a capitalist society where one’s worth is derived from the amount of capital they are able to acquire but most people don’t recognize the implicit role it plays in our life (fish in water 🤷🏾♀️)
Now, mostly, I’d answer, I feel. That’s what we’re all here to do. To experience the many facets of human existence.
Hi Laia 💫 I've just found your youtube page and substack through a Google search for what I thought wasn't going to be a real thing... 'couch yoga'. I then saw your productivity videos which then took me to your writing on here, and I cant quite believe my luck for stumbling across you.
Your approach to life and your aim behind your work here is so admirable and I resonate with it so much. I wanted to leave a comment because I struggle to answer this question having gone through different careers and having so many goals but also so many different parts of myself and what I do. I also struggle to ask this question, so I end up asking things that perhaps sound a bit odd, like what gets you up in the morning, and what makes you feel warm inside, and how do you spend your days. I think though that reflecting on this makes us all better conversationalists and shifts what we think of as valuable I guess.
Most days I answer this with 'i do lots of things! at the moment I'm a PhD student, I fill my days with research and writing, but I really value time with friends and family and I love nature, what about you?' I find that often people have enough in there to pick at what they find most interesting, and it's a good start to the conversation. Some days I'll answer more specifically with something I've been working on, it kind of depends on the vibe I get from the person asking as well I guess!
Anyway, thanks for sharing this, and sorry to be commenting on an older post!
✨️💞