The roles we take on are simply that-a role, a part we play in a specific situation. 

Our roles do not show others who we are as much as they show others what we do. 

Be-ers

My role as an author shows others that I have chosen to take a certain pathway that others who are not authors have not chosen to take. People who are not authors will not participate in my writer’s group or seek out conferences or workshops that will benefit their writing craft. 

But, just because I have a position and place among authors, does not exclude me from being just me.  

My role as a yoga instructor shows others that my yoga practice is important to me. It is so important that I invested time and money to become a certified yoga instructor. My role allows me to teach others and to lead a group of people through a yoga practice. Though my role places me in front of others as their leader, my role doesn’t exclude me from being just me. 

Sometimes, we can be unaware of how our roles create chasms between us and others because of the role we fill. They may think that we are not on the same level of ground as they are. That we might just be a step or two higher up on that imaginary ladder. 

Other times, we are aware and purposefully use our roles creating an illusion and pretending we are much more important than we really are. We might think that our roles put us a rung or two higher than everyone else on that imaginary ladder.

 But, our roles are not meant to give us an identity, separate us from others, or make us think we are more important than we really are. Instead, our roles are just a place or position we fill because we’ve chosen to take on a specific functional purpose in our community or in our world.  

I write and identify myself as a writer and an author. But, I’m still just me. I teach yoga and identify myself as a yoga instructor. But, I’m still just me. 

Whether teacher, author, clerk, pilot, administrator, doctor, dentist, or pastor, I want to be known as well as know others beyond any external functions we fill. I want to know others and have others know me for the simple pleasure of really knowing each other as people because behind every role that is filled lies a person. 

Why bother giving our roles a rest? Remembering that our roles do not define who we are help us to remember who we are: like everybody else, we are just us.