Be the full constellation of YOU

My greatest joy right right now is taking evening walks with my pup through different neighborhood streets. Jax loves smelling around while I gaze merrily at holiday lights.

In particular, one tree has stolen my heart.

On a dark street, standing taller than all the houses, is a tree covered in soft blue lights. It fills the entire block with a delicious blue glow.

It's stunning.

This tree is you and me.

Except, we don't realize it.

At night, this tree reminds me of a constellation. Thousands of miniature speckles hanging in thin air.

Yet, they're part of something greater than themselves.

Instead of studying each tiny lightbulb on its own, we notice the relationships between them, the negative space matters.

The bulbs become nodes that help our eyes perceive the entire form.

We connect the dots to understand the shape of the tree, its mass, its height, its grandeur.

The entire street bathes in blue light from the output of one tree.

We notice how the sum is greater than the parts.

Much greater indeed.

Each twinkle light on its own wouldn't be one-hundredth as impressive. Out of context, it wouldn't make sense to look at one at a time.

To get the full effect, we must stand 50 feet away and bask in the luminescence of the entire collection.

It's only when we stand back do we understand why each speck exists the way it does.

Once we see the whole, then we understand the why.

You are the blue tree.

We all have professional identity lightbulbs we use everyday.

Sometimes, we only light one up at a time. Sometimes, we're asked to only show a certain set to certain people. Sometimes the bulbs need rewiring or replacing, and we're not able to fully show up.

Yet, only when we really know ourselves and know how all of our little professional identity lightbulbs work together are we able to flood the street like a beacon that's brighter than we ever knew we were.

Suddenly, we stand out like no other tree on the street.

Awakening to our hybrid professional identity is when we own the constellation of our multiple professional selves.

Suddenly, every node matters.

Suddenly, the bigger picture of who we are becomes clear.

Suddenly, our brilliance is amplified because everything is interconnected.

Suddenly, we see why our unique set of identities belongs together in the exact way that makes us, us.

Reflect on your blue tree.

As we end the year, take a moment to reflect on your professional identity constellation.

• Can you name each node?

• Do you use them in isolation? Are you a set of twinkle lights blinking in patterns? Or, do you know how to flood the street?

• Have you stepped back to examine how all your nodes light up into something magnificent?

• What's preventing you from being able to interpret your own constellation?

• Do any of the nodes need replacing or updating? Why not change them out if it's time?

• What shape do your nodes create in their entirety, and why

• Why does each node exist? What role does it play in the bigger picture?

• Can you name your constellation? If so, what is it?

This is the work of stepping into our hybridity in our careers.

This is the time of year to sit with who we are and who we're becoming if we are trying to realize our greatest selves in our work.

Share the names of your professional identity constellation with me. I'd love to hear what you have in mind.

And, if your starry sky feels dark or confusing, reach out. I'd love to talk with you about it.