Dr. Maya Shankar

So I think, oh, I'm an author now.

I'm a podcaster.

I am a cognitive scientist.

But the problem is that life can effortlessly get in the way and make other plans for you, and suddenly you can be denied those labels, right?

And so instead, you can ask yourself, well, what is it that you love about the things you love doing?

So when I asked myself, well, what did I love about playing the violin?

I realized that human connection was actually at the core of that passion, that I just loved emotionally connecting with other people.

And just because I lost the violin didn't mean that I lost what made me love it in the first place.

And that could still be fully intact.

It could be a fully intact part of my identity that I could use as a compass to guide me forward.

And as it turns out, I have subconsciously sought out

professions that have human connection at their core and everything that I've done since.

As a cognitive scientist, I studied the science of human connection.

As a podcaster, as a writer, every conversation I have is all about probing deeply into another person's psychology.

And so I would encourage everyone listening to ask themselves,

What is their why?

What is the thing that makes them tick when it comes to what they love?

And if you can define yourself in those terms, like I am the type of person who loves caring for others or being really empathetic or getting better at a craft, that can help be your North Star as you think about next steps.

I completely agree.

And I'm of course not saying that we should do away with those role-based identities altogether.