Ask me who I was during my year in construction, and I’d have given you one answer: a construction worker.

It wasn’t just what I did from Monday to Friday. It was how I introduced myself, how I thought about my future, and how I measured my worth. Everything else about me quietly shrank to fit the job title.

It made me feel insignificant. If that’s all I was, what happened if I lost the job, or wasn’t good enough at it? What if there was nothing else underneath? That thought scared me more than I admitted at the time.

I’ve spent the time since building an identity that isn’t tied to one job. I’m still working on it, but these three things have made a real difference.

Find Something That’s Yours

Pick something you do for its own sake, not for money or your career. For me, that’s footy and the gym. Nobody on the field or in the gym cares what my job is, and that’s exactly why they matter. A hobby gives you somewhere to be a person instead of a job title, so choose something you’d still do if nobody paid you for it.

Surround Yourself With People Who Know You Beyond Work

If everyone in your life only knows you through your job, your identity shrinks to match it. Find people who connect with you over something else, like a club, a gym crew or a group chat that has nothing to do with work. Being known for who you are, not what you do, changes how you see yourself.

Grow in More Than One Direction

I put effort into my body, my study and Ascendance, even when some weeks are heavier than others. When all your progress sits in one basket, one bad week can shake your whole sense of self. Spread across several areas, a rough patch in one doesn’t knock everything over. Whether it’s physical, mental, financial, business or education, keep several things moving forward, even slowly.

This week’s challenge: grab a pen and finish the sentence “I am ______” five different ways, without using your job title. Pick one of those answers and do one thing this week that backs it up. Book a session, message a mate, or start something small.

Your job is something you do. It’s not who you are.

— Nate