How many of you remember your first career day at school? I do. It was second grade and I went as a reporter. My mom put a “press” label in the rim of a hat and I wore a button-down shirt with jeans. I was a pretty darn cute 7 or 8 year old!

Fast forward 25 years and I had a journalism degree under my belt with more than 10 years of reporting experience. Then the economy hit and I was laid off. It wasn’t until the lay-off happened that I realized I let my job become my identity. Now that the job was gone, I didn’t recognize myself. Ouch. That’s still hard for me to admit.

It took several years, but I came to realize two things. One, my identity is in my faith and my Creator, and second, that I am enough. Being enough means not being too much or too little. As long as I am living the life I’m created to live, I am enough.

This revolutionized both how I thought of myself, and how I live out my various life roles. Instead of having my identity fueled by my various my various life roles, my identity—my core values fuel how I live out these life roles.  

What are these roles?

Each person has many roles. We like to talk about them like hats but really, do we ever stop being part of who we are just because another part is getting more attention at the time?

Here are the roles I consider most important in my life right now.

Wife-John and I were married September 21, 2008 in our favorite park in Springdale. We met 18 months earlier on MySpace after he commented on one of my blogs. So yes, I have blogging to thank for connecting me with the man who I would later marry!

Furbaby momma-Anyone who follows me on social media knows I pretty much adore my four pets. We rescued our two cats after they were abandoned and adopted our two dogs from the Fayetteville Animal Shelter. You can follow their hashtags #smithpuppies and #smithkitties! We’ve chosen to not have human children so these animals are, in a way, how I express my “Momness.”

Auntie- The other way I express my Momness is through being “Aunt Jamie.” My brother and his wife have twin girls (almost 4) and a boy (2 ½). They live in Denver so I only get to see them about once a year. I still get to have a relationship with them through Skype!  I love those three kids so much that it takes my breath away.

Person with a disability-It has always seemed that some people see my disability as my identity. But for me, being born with Spina Bifida is just another role I have. How I choose to live that role is up to me.

Writer-this role is how many of you at ARWB know me. As I mentioned before, I started out in the world of newspaper journalism. I now simply call myself a writer. I own a writing services business called Jamie’s Notebook. I write blogs, websites, and other miscellaneous writing projects for businesses and organizations. I still write some news and feature articles for various publications.

I’m also a blogger. My personal blog is Jamie’s Thots and it’s the latest version of a personal hobby I’ve had for 10 years. I started blogging to keep family and friends apprised of my progress towards and after gastric bypass surgery. It’s become an outlet for personal expression, encouragement for others, and even a means of earning income.

A few final thoughts

Our roles in life can change. That doesn’t mean the roles we invested in at the time were wrong, it just means that the roles change. What could have been a good fit at the time may not be a good fit later on.

What’s important is that any role, any major decision, pass through the test of meeting a person’s life mission and core values.

When that happens in my own life, I know I am enough.

I look forward to spending this month with you and am incredibly honored to serve as Blogger of the Month. I look forward to chatting with you and hope you’ll find me on social media:

 Facebook (you might need to tell me you know me from ARWB)
Instagram
Twitter
Pinterest