It’s easy to become attached to what we do; to let it become who we are. In most cases, this manifests as our job title.

“I am an engineer [architect, plumber, dental assistant, pastor, writer…]”

But is that really what you are?

What happens if you lose your job, or decide to change paths? Are you still that thing?

I’m a fan of the concept of hedging your personality. The idea is not to allow yourself to become attached to one single element of your life. Ideally, your personality should be a mixed bag, a diversified portfolio.

There should be enough constant where you’re always you, but without the rigidity that comes from saying “I am this one thing.”

This way, if any one element of your personality goes away (new career path/hobby/sport/etc) the change will be subtle. You’ll be far less likely to have a serious personality crisis than if you’ve put all of your identity into one identifier.

The best part is that it doesn’t take any real effort to start. The next time someone asks what you do, rather than stating one significant element from your life, simply avoid the standard answer.

Rather than saying “I am a _,” say “I do a lot of different things.”

And go from there.